Native Cranberry

Lissanthe sapida is a bushy shrub that typically grows to a height of 1 m (3 ft 3 in), sometimes to 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) and has bristly branchlets. Its leaves are more or less lance-shaped, sometimes with the narrower end towards the base, 15.5–27.5 mm (0.61–1.08 in) long and 2.2–4.2 mm (0.087–0.165 in) wide on a petiole 1.3–2.7 mm (0.051–0.106 in) long. There are 7 or 8 ribs on the lower surface of the leaves. Up to 4 pendent, creamy-white flowers are borne in leaf axils with bracteoles 0.75–1.1 mm (0.030–0.043 in) long at the base. The sepals are 1.6–1.9 mm (0.063–0.075 in) long and the petals are joined at the base to form a cylindrical tube 5.4–6.5 mm (0.21–0.26 in) long with glabrous lobes 2.1–3.9 mm (0.083–0.154 in) long. Flowering occurs from July to September and the fruit is a glabrous red, spherical to oval capsule about 5.7 mm (0.22 in) long.

Lissanthe sapida grows on ridges, hillsides and rocky ledges in open forest on sandy soil on sandstone. It is found in the lower Blue Mountains, including near Glenbrook, Woodford and Lawson.