Myoporum debile
| Myoporum debile | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 9 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 3' |
| Width: | 3' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Myoporum debile (common name: winter apple)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. 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. Consider giving the plants some protection from the cold for their first few winters outdoors.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 10cm with a heel, July/August in a frame. Pot up in the autumn. Good percentage[1].
Cultivation: Easily grown in most soils[2]. Succeeds in dry soils[3].
This species is not very hardy in mainland Britain, it succeeds outdoors on the Scilly Isles[4] but usually requires greenhouse protection elsewhere[4].
Range: Australia and New Zealand.
Habitat: Open forests, grassland and dry areas in Australia[5][6]. By the coast between Raglan and Kawhia in New Zealand[7].
Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked[8][9]. Slightly bitter[10]. A pleasantly salty-sweet flavour[11]. The fruits are 6 - 8mm long[11]. Caution is advised since the fruit probably contains a liver toxin[12].
Medicinal: Used in the treatment of V.D. by the Australian Aborigines[5].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: The fruit of this plant probably contains a liver toxin[12].
Also Known As: M. diffusum.
Links
References
- ↑ Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ Holliday, Ivan and Ron Hill. A Field Guide to Australian Trees. Frederick Muller, 1974.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lassak, Erich and Tara McCarthy. Australian Medicinal Plants.
- ↑ Carolin, R. Flora of the Sydney Region. Reed, 1993.
- ↑ Allan, Harry. Flora of New Zealand. Government Printer Publications, 1961.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Cribb, Alan and Joan Cribb. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana, 1976.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Low, Tim. Wild Food Plants of Australia. Angus and Robertson, 1989.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Crowe, Andrew. Native Edible Plants of New Zealand. Hodder and Stoughton, 1990.