Billardiera cymosa
PITTOSPORACEAE
Sweet Apple Berry
A sprawling shrub that will lightly climb nearby vegetation, 1 to 2 m. Narrow, oblong leaves, 2 to 3 cm long x 0.5 wide. Pretty mauve, blue sometimes creamy or pink 5 petal flowers, near the ends of branches. Sept to Dec. Hanging oblong fruits, to 2cm in length, fleshy, initially green, ripening to purplish red, with an aniseed taste. Indigenous people ate these raw or dried. Fruit contains many tiny black seeds.
Seeds can be collected from ripe fruit or from fruit that has been left on the plant until dry, usually mid summer. Rub fruits firmly to release from the broken capsule, It is important to remove all fleshy matter from the seed so soak in water for 48 hours & sieve through a fine sieve, retaining the seed & discarding the fleshy gunk. Spread seed on newspaper & leave in a dry spot, occasionally rubbing to dislodge the seed. Store seed in a dry place & sow in early spring, or sow immediately. Sow in propagating mix & cover lightly with mix or course sand. Billardiera takes a long time to germinate. Propagation by cuttings is also possible, semi hardwood cuttings with a heel taken in July/Aug.
Suitable for dappled shaded spots in the garden in well drained moist, sandy to loam locations.