Herb: Common Appleberry


Latin name: Billardiera scandens


Family: Pittosporaceae



Edible parts of Common Appleberry:

Fruit - raw or cooked. Unripe fruits can be roasted. A pleasant sub-acid flavour akin to dried apples. Tastes like kiwi fruits (Actinidia deliciosa). The fruits are up to 2.5cm long.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Evergreen
Climber

Height:
3 m
(9 3/4 foot)

Habitat of the herb:

By mountain streams or scrub country in forests, by coasts and on tablelands.

Propagation of Common Appleberry:

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.

Cultivation of the herb:

By mountain streams or scrub country in forests, by coasts and on tablelands.

Medicinal use of Common Appleberry:

None known

Known hazards of Billardiera scandens:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.