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Billardiera longiflora - Labill.

Common Name Appleberry
Family Pittosporaceae
USDA hardiness 7-10
Known Hazards The leaves contain saponins. Although poisonous, saponins are poorly absorbed by the human body and so most pass through without harm. Saponins are quite bitter and can be found in many common foods such as some beans. They can be removed by carefully leaching in running water. Thorough cooking, and perhaps changing the cooking water once, will also normally remove most of them. However, it is not advisable to eat large quantities of food that contain saponins. Saponins are much more toxic to some creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish[K].
Habitats Damp forests and along the sides of streams[260].
Range Australia - New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria
Edibility Rating    (2 of 5)
Other Uses    (0 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (0 of 5)
Care (info)
Frost Hardy Moist Soil Semi-shade Full sun
Billardiera longiflora Appleberry


http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Noodle_snacks
Billardiera longiflora Appleberry

 

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Summary


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of climber
Billardiera longiflora is an evergreen Climber growing to 2.4 m (7ft 10in) at a slow rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 8. It is in leaf all year, in flower from July to September, and the seeds ripen from September to November. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs).
Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

Plant Habitats

Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; South Wall. By. West Wall. By.

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Fruit
Edible Uses:

Fruit - raw[3, 157, 183]. Aromatic, mealy and pleasant[144]. Remove the seeds before eating the fruit[144]. The fruit does not have a pulp[154] and is dry and boring[K]. The deep blue fruit is up to 25mm long[219].

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.


None known

References   More on Medicinal Uses

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Other Uses

None known

Special Uses

Scented Plants

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Requires a moist well-drained humus-rich lime-free soil in a sheltered position in sun or semi-shade with a cool root run[3, 11, 31, 200]. Plants are only hardy to about -5°c[260]. They succeed outdoors only in the mildest areas of Britain[1, 3, 49]. They can survive quite cold winters outdoors if given a suitable position[120]. They are hardy to at least -7°c in Australian gardens[157] though this cannot be translated directly to British gardens because of our cooler summers and longer, wetter and colder winters. 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[200]. A very ornamental plant[1].The flowers are deliciously scented[245]. Any pruning is best done in spring[202].

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

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Plant 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[200]. 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 Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Native Range

AUSTRALASIA: Australia (Tasmania (southeast))

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status :

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther
Billardiera cymosaSweet AppleberryClimber0.0 -  LMSNM20 
Billardiera scandensCommon AppleberryClimber3.0 7-10  LMSNM20 

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

Expert comment

Author

Labill.

Botanical References

11154200

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here

Readers comment

Dr. Chiranjit Parmar   Tue May 27 2008

Fruitipedia Online encyclopedia of edible fruits contain ing details of 201 fruits; more fruits added every week.

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