Common name:

Family name:
Pittosporaceae

Botanical name:
Billardiera scandens

Flowering/fruiting season:
Fruits spring-summer (Flood, 1980:95)

Location:
Dry sclerophyll forest (Burbidge & Gray, 1976:192)

Use:

Food
Summer fruits (Wreck Bay Community & Renwick, 2000:44)
Pleasant, slightly acid berries were eaten raw (Flood, 1980:95)
'… another favourite … sometimes picked from the plant and roasted briefly before eating. It is usual to wait until they have ripened to a pale opaque brown. Often they are found on the ground below the plant. '(Wreck Bay Community & Renwick, 2000:44)

Notes:

'A small climber with hanging yellow-green bell-shaped flowers, followed by oval, fuzzy fruits. The fruit is green with a red tinge and contains many black seeds. When soft enough to eat they fall from the branches.' (Zola & Gott, 1992:49)
'... flavour akin to dried apples.' (Cribb & Cribb, 1987:70)

Language names:
karrawang : 'apple-berry' Coranderrk (Zola & Gott, 1992:49)

Horticulture :

Cultivation in most soils; sunny, open position to ensure compact growth. (Wrigley & Fagg, 1998)
Billardiera cymosa Sweet Apple-berry has mauve flowers; often cultivated; fruits when ripe soft greenish red, have a faint aniseed flavour. (Vic, SA) (Zola & Gott, 1992:26)

Similar species:
B. longiflora Purple Appleberry - drier, purple fruit - found in cooler, wetter forests (Zola & Gott, 1992:49)

Use code:
FRT