Billardiera cymosa

Billardiera cymosa, commonly known as sweet apple-berry or love fruit, is a species of flowering plant in the family Pittosporaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is usually a slender climber that has narrowly egg-shaped leaves and pale blue or pale purplish flowers arranged in groups of about five to twelve.

Description

A shrubby slender climber. It grows 1-2 m tall. The young branches and leaves have fine silky hairs. The leaves are short and slender. The flowers are 2 cm across. They are borne in clusters at the ends of branches. The colour can vary from cream to red to blue. The fruit are oblong and hang down. They are reddish berries. They are 2 cm long.

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Fruit Edible Uses: Fruit - raw or cooked. A delightful aniseed flavour. The fruit is up to 1.5cm long.

Traditional Uses

The fruit are eaten fresh and roasted. They are also used for making sauces for pork, veal and chicken.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

None known

Distribution

Temperate. It can grow in subtropical and semiarid regions. It grows in inland New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. It suits drier areas. It needs well drained soils. It can grow in full sun. It can stand heavy frost.

Where It Grows

Australia*,

Cultivation

Requires a moist, well-drained, humus-rich, lime-free soil in sun or semi-shade with a cool root run. Plants are hardy to at least -7°c in Australian gardens but this cannot be translated directly to British gardens due to our cooler summers and longer colder and wetter winters. They probably require greenhouse protection in Britain, though they may succeed outdoors in a selected area in the milder areas of this country. Mulching the roots in winter will provide extra protection for the plant and even if the top is cut back by the cold it might resprout from the base.

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a warm greenhouse as soon as it is ripe. Only just cover the seed. Sow stored seed in early spring in a warm greenhouse. The germination of fresh seed is usually prolific, but stored seed can take a year to germinate. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 10 - 12cm with a heel, July/August in a frame. Fair percentage. Layering.

Other Uses

None known Special Uses

Notes

There are about 25 Billardiera species. They grow in Australia.

Synonyms

References (20)

• Bodkin, F., 1991, Encyclopedia Botanica. Cornstalk publishing, p 147
• Bonney, N., 1997, Economic Native Trees and Shrubs for South Australia. Greening Australia (SA) inc. Campbelltown SA 5074 p 50
• Bonney, N., 2012, Edible Wild Native Plants for Southern Australia. p 110
• Cherikoff V. & Isaacs, J., The Bush Food Handbook. How to gather, grow, process and cook Australian Wild Foods. Ti Tree Press, Australia p 198
• Cribb, A.B. & J.W., 1976, Wild Food in Australia, Fontana. p 62

More from Pittosporaceae

Billardiera erubescens

Red Billardiera

Billardiera longiflora

Purple Apple-berry, Mountain Blue Berry

Billardiera mutabilis

Green appleberry

Billardiera ringens

Chapman River Climber, Chapman creeper

Billardiera scandens

Appleberry, Apple dumpling, Common Appleberry

Billardiera variifolia

Western bluebell