Propagation
Fresh or dried seeds should be soaked in boiling water for 10-20 seconds or exposed to heat by burning straw above them and then stratified for two months at 5ş C (41ş F).

Sow seeds in flats and when germination occurs within 2-3 months prick out when large enough to handle and place in a cold frame.
Take heeled semi-hardwood cuttings up to 80 mm (3?

Divide branches that root at the nodes.

Botanic information
Leaf: The leathery textured leaves are oblanceolate to obovate up to 15 mm (? in) wide. The entire margin is may be revolute and the small petiole is up to 6mm (Ľin) long with a cuneate base and an obtuse apex. The leaf is lustrous green above, lighter green below and during winter turns bronze to reddish, which is a feature of the plant.

Note
The ovoid sessile buds are solitary, consisting of 3 visible scales.The leaves are used for medicinal purpures as they contain arbutin.

Flower: The tiny white-pink flowers consist of 5-sepals and petals that are fused to form an urn-shape that spreads at the apex and normally contain 10 stamens. The glabrous pedestal is up to 4 mm long and the pendant flowers are arranged in a raceme that is up to 30mm (1Ľin) long and accompanied by scale-like bracts that are up to 6 mm (Ľ in) long. The flowering period varies from winter to early summer.

Fruit: The globular glabrous drupe is green ripening to red and contains numerous seeds. The small seeds are viable but the plant is commonly reproduced vegetatively.