over shrubs that recur from seed. Trees with a single main stem are in locations remote from these factors. The habit of older trees may overwhelm the adjacent plants by monopolising the sunlight and parasitising roots of plants beyond its own canopy. The foliage, being much paler than other trees and shrubs, makes the plant conspicuous in bushland and scrub. An occurrence of an unmolested specimen is recorded at Woodman Point in Western Australia, an area remote from the high-intensity fires of altered regimens. Emus eat the fruit, and it forms an important part of their diet; the nut remains undigested in their droppings. This is the usual method of S. acuminatum seed dispersal, when it is within the emu's range. A number of species interact with this plant, in a number of complex relationships, a noted example being Paraepermenia santaliella, the quandong moth of the family Epermeniidae. Other creatures, such as larvae of nitidulid beetles and the wood white butterfly, also feed on S. acuminatum. Cultivation The fruit and nut were important foods to the peoples of arid and semiarid central Australia, especially for its high vitamin C content. It is commercially grown and marketed as a bush food and is sometimes made into a jam, an enterprise begun in the 1970s. It is well known as an exotic food. Propagation and pests Inadequate knowledge of the plant's ecology led to many early failures in the cultivation of this species. Commercial trials and propagation by enthusiasts have attempted to reproduce the circumstances of its native habitat; well-drained soil, germination techniques, and selection of appropriate hosts have been more successful. Germinating the seed has been more successful, up to 35% when it is laid aside for 12 – 18 months. Growers laying seeds into mulch, obtained from host plants, report a high rate of success. Cultivation of this plant has faced other obstacles; for example, the species is susceptible to a number of pests and fungal diseases. The research and development of domestication of the species was first undertaken by Brian Powell, at a property in Quorn, South Australia. The successful plants in this trial are classed as "Significant Trees" by the state's National Trust. This venture came to be supported by the CSIRO, in the 1970s, eventually becoming part of the research body's Sustainable Ecosystems division. The development of horticultural practice for the establishment of commercial orchards is being