Apple dumplings – Billardiera scandens

Description

Description

‘Apple dumplings’ also known as apple berry or ‘Garawang’, is a small shrub, groundcover or twining vine fruit native to South-Eastern Australia. It’s quite unusual in being from the Pittosporaceae family (pittosporums), which the New Zealand native species are not considered to be tasty or even edible. The fruit are slightly fuzzy and grow to about 3cm long – tasting somewhere between stewed apples and kiwifruit once ripe. They were loved by indigenous Australians and settlers alike. They flower in Spring with beautiful hanging yellow flowers.

Apple dumplings are somewhat frost tolerant and can handle a few degrees of frost, making this a useful fruit plant for most areas in New Zealand. They are also not fussy about soil (handling wetter and poorer soils, as well as drier soils) and can also fruit in partial shade.

I’m not aware of anyone growing it in New Zealand, so it’s likely to be quite rare initially and unknown exactly how well it performs.

Seeds  per packet: 10

 

Growing Instructions

Soak the seeds for 24-48 hours until well hydrated, and then either plant directly into moist soil, or sprout in a bag with sphagnum moss / vermiculite, before planting. Apple dumplings can be difficult to germinate and may require up to 12 weeks to sprout. Some reports are that they do better if fermented slightly.

 

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