Showing posts with label rare fruit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rare fruit. Show all posts

Friday

Rare and Unusual Roundleaf Star Creeper



The Star Creeper Lobelia nummularia is a herbaceous perennial ground-cover, native to Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

Demure, white to pale purple flowers with pointed lips bloom in June and July on this small trailing herb. Large, purple-red berries follow that stand up curiously and ornamental on delicate vines. Small, toothed, and rounded light green leaves line the trailing branches and cascade if given a chance. Growing 3-4" tall in light shade and moist conditions.

The relatively large purple fruits are very ornamental and fruits and young shoots were wild collected, eaten cooked by local people. Has medicinal properties. Hardy to 15F.  Rare, unusual, different. 


Seed and Plant Sources:



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Thursday

Elephant Ear Roxburgh's Fig

The Elephant Ear Fig tree is an impressive Fig species and it makes a great indoor plant for large rooms. Roxburgh's fig is native to India, Nepal, China, and Southeast Asia. 

This is a evergreen to semi-deciduous, spreading, large shrub or small tree reaching 15’ feet tall and as wide.
Ficus auriculata is the Fig tree with the largest leaves in the rain forests of the Chinese Yunnan province. 


The young evergreen leaves are starting intensely red, and turn the greenest when reaching their ultimate size of up to 20” inches length. It can also easily be trimmed and the plant reacts with even more shoots and leaves on a thicker stem. The new growth is a deep red. Figs form in clusters on the trunk and larger branches, are green and red on the inside. 

The whole fruit tastes fairly sweet. It is full of an attractive jelly-like substance, which is much sweeter than the pulp. The absence of acidity, however, makes it slightly flat in taste. The overall fruit quality is good and is used to make jams, juices and curries. Zone 9+


Seeds....

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Tuesday

Australian Apple Berry Billardiera


A wild and very unusual evergreen climbing shrub. Also known as climbing blueberry, Cherry Berry or Climbing Appleberry, Billardiera longiflora, it was described by French botanist Jacques Labillardière in 1805. 


It is a small Australian vine found in cool, moist forests from southern New South Wales to Tasmania, where it is native. Deliciously scented, small bell shaped green yellow flowers are sometimes purple tinged and produced in summer. Electric purple blue, edible fruits follow in the autumn and winter.
Happy in borders and containers, can be grown on a trellis or over shrubs where the woody stems will twine and climb. Prefers well-drained soil in partly shaded sheltered site. Height 6Ft. Hardy perennial. 


Seeds found here

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