Apple Berry/Billardiera scandens

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DESCRIPTION:
The most delicious fruit in the Australian bush.
These tasty morsels have a flavor reminiscent of licorice or aniseed, mixed with peaches.
The fruit ripens once it hits the forest floor.
The vine can be used as a bush string, though due to the delicious flavor of the berries, this is rarely done.
The presence of ripe berries indicates that pythons can be hunted in the early hours of the day near the vines.
This is due to mice and rats trying to gather the berries and the snake trying to 'gather' the mice.
An easy way to harvest these berries, it to place the eucalyptus bark that shed the month earlier underneath the vines to give a better contrast to the fallen berries.
The berries ripen in mid-late summer.
The berries can be made into jams, tarts, pies and deserts, as well as rollups.
Young berries can be roasted on the coals of a fire to improve flavour.
Source/s:
www.anbg.gov.au/gnp/interns-2...
www.google.com/search?client=...
wtlandcare.org/details/billar...
www.google.com/search?client=...
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[@angelinebrasier9882]

I'm thinking of growing this on my garden arch. I read that it attracts alot of butterflies, insect and other wildlife. Great video!

[@brittanychavez2766]

I'm getting one in a few days. Thank you for this awesome video.

[@Ilovethebush]

keep us updated :D

[@ruralequipmenthire9201]

Great video. Hard to find good Australian native bush tucker videos

[@Ilovethebush]

Glad to be of assistance.

[@pianoonparade]

Just got some seeds this week, trying to see if it'll grow in a pot. Hopefully it will since my tiny apartment balcony barely gets any sun and this would be perfect for it! So happy to hear you say it germinates easily - was worried that natives might be finicky.

[@Ilovethebush]

The seed may require cold stratification for 3 months.
Lets us know how you go, we would love to read your progress.

[@nangafine1731]

New sub! Where can I get some seeds for this vine please. Would love to grow them

[@Ilovethebush]

G'day Nanga,
You can find seeds for sale at:
edibleoz.com.au/collections/native-fruit/products/apple-berry-apple-dumplings-billardiera-scandens-seeds-bush-tucker-plant?fbclid=IwAR0wJGPMD8GPo6t3fvzso0LsRsfYOB22GX-o7PlpPE5LDomjdqqK_9cLXOQ

[@783342]

OMG We have copperheads.

[@tassiebushcraft3965]

What makes you say the Tassie specie isn't edible? Are you referring to B. mutabilis (previously thought to be B. scandens)? Because it is edible I can assure you from my own experience. It is also listed in RC Gunn's "Remarks on the indigenous vegetable productions of Tasmania available as food for man" (1842). Thanks for your vid, just subbed. Cheers.

[@Ilovethebush]

G'day Tassie Bushcraft,
Thank you for providing a reference and Latin names. B. mutabilis is definitely edible, you are 100% correct.
The variety I am referring to looks a bit like a twining purple Dianella. There probably are multiple varieties in Tassie that are edible, however, the one I happened upon before filming this video bore purple fruit that produced an odd foam when squished.

[@tassiebushcraft3965]

@@Ilovethebush We definitely have some Dianella species you don't want to eat, namely D. tasmanica, it contains napthalene (toxic). We have two purple Billardiera, B. longifolia and B. macrantha. B. macrantha was previously thought to be part of B. longifolia, it has longer flowers, leaves and stems. Both were used by the Tasmanian aborigines, listed in James Bonwick's "Daily Life and Origin of the Tasmanians", 1870. From my observation they are hollow and dry with yellow seeds, and fairly tasteless and pithy. Maybe what you came across was D. tasmanica, it fits your description. I actually came across your video because I wanted to see how closely B. Scandens matched B. mutabilis, as I'm currently working on an online database of Tasmanian edible plants that I will be launching soon. Cheers.

[@skie6282]

Looking to hybridize some type of these as a hobby

[@Ilovethebush]

@skin e. hmm, interesting, I would be intrigued to follow your results.

[@skie6282]

@@Ilovethebush im gonna use the ones with the common names purple appleberry and sweet appleberry as those were the only seeds i could get. Looking for sweeter, more yield, less seeds and hopefully the purple appearance. It will take a long time im sure, as its breeding varieties then planting the seeds of those fruit over and over, but hopefully i get lucky and get good combos

[@michaellasserre1019]

Hey bud. What’s the name of the book you were using?

[@Ilovethebush]

Michael Lasserre.
The book cover is shown in the video @1:26.
The name of the book is Useful Native Plants from temperate Australia.
Cheers :)