Billardiera scandens
| Billardiera scandens | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-6.5 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 10' |
| Width: | 10' |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Billardiera scandens (common name: common appleberry)
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[1]. 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.
Cultivation: Requires a moist, well-drained, humus-rich, lime-free soil in sun or semi-shade with a cool root run[1].
This species usually requires greenhouse protection in Britain[2], but plants can succeed outdoors on a wall in mild areas of the country[3]. They tolerate temperatures down to at least -7°c[4] in Australian gardens but this cannot be translated directly to British gardens because of our cooler summers and longer, colder and wetter winters.
Range: Australia - New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria.
Habitat: By mountain streams or scrub country in forests, by coasts and on tablelands[5].
Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked[6][5]. Unripe fruits can be roasted[7]. A pleasant sub-acid flavour akin to dried apples[8][9]. Tastes like kiwi fruits (Actinidia deliciosa)[7]. The fruits are up to 2.5cm long[7].
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Taylor, Jane. The Milder Garden. Dent, 1990.
- ↑ Wrigley, John and Murray Fagg. Australian Native Plants. Collins, 1988.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Ewart, Alfred. Recording Census of the Victorian Flora. 1923.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Low, Tim. Wild Food Plants of Australia. Angus and Robertson, 1989.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Cribb, Alan and Joan Cribb. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana, 1976.