KANGAROO APPLE Solanum aviculare, SEEDS X 5 FOR SALE HERE NOW ONLINE AUSTRALIA Solanum laciniatum?
Please add $4 pack/post to your order. Add $4 per lots of 5 seeds
Kangaroo Apple Growing – What Is A Kangaroo Apple Plant
Ever heard of kangaroo apple fruit? You may not have unless you were born down under. Kangaroo apple plants are native to Australia and New Zealand.
\What is a Kangaroo Apple? Kangaroo apple plants are unrelated to apples, although they do bear fruit. A member of the Solanaceae family, Solanum aviculare is also sometimes referred to as New Zealand nightshade, giving us a clue as to the characteristics of the fruit. Nightshade, another Solanaceae member, is poisonous like many other Solanacea members. Many of them contain potent alkaloids that may be toxic although we eat some of these “toxic” foods – such as potatoes and tomatoes. The same can be said of kangaroo apple fruit. It is toxic when it is unripe.
Kangaroo apple plants are bushy shrubs that grow between 3-10 feet in height covered in flamboyant purple blossoms that bloom profusely through the spring and summer. The flowers are followed by green fruit that matures and ripens to yellow, then deep orange. The fruit at maturity is 1-2 inches long, oval, orange with juicy pulp filled with many tiny seeds. If you are thinking about growing kangaroo apple, keep in mind the plant is subtropical and does not tolerate more than the briefest freeze. In its native habitat, kangaroo apple can be found in and around sea bird nesting sites, in open shrub land, and along forest fringes. Interested? So how does one go about propagating kangaroo apple?
Kangaroo apple growing occurs via seed or hardwood cuttings. The seeds are difficult but not impossible to come by. They take several weeks to germinate. An evergreen, kangaroo apple is suited to USDA hardiness zones 8-11. It can be grown in sandy, loamy or clay laden soils provided they are well draining. Plant seeds in full sun to part shade. It thrives in moist, not wet, soil but will tolerate some drying out. If container grown, the plant can be brought inside if cold snaps are forecast. If you do want to eat the fruit, to be safe, wait until they have fallen from the plant. That way they will be completely ripe. Also, the birds like the fruit, so the potential for invasiveness is there.
Description/Taste
The Kangaroo Apple plant has large, green, leaves that are deeply-lobed with up to 5 spear-like fingers. In the spring, the plant has small ruffled purple flowers that measure 5 centimeters wide and are reminiscent of eggplant flowers. Once the flowers fall away, small, shiny, egg-shaped fruits develop. Kangaroo Apple fruits begin bright green and ripen to a yellow-orange (S. laciniatum species) or from a pale orange to red (S. aviculare). When ripe, the berries will soften, and will often split. The inside of a Kangaroo Apple looks somewhat like a cherry tomato, and contains anywhere from 200 to 600 tiny flat seeds. The pulp is juicy and sweet, with a hint of melon flavor.
** Unripened Kangaroo Apples are bitter and TOXIC.
Seasons/Availability
The Kangaroo Apple is available year-round with a peak season in the late summer and early fall months.
Current Facts
Kangaroo Apple is the common name for two almost identical species, and is the name of both the plant and its fruit. Solanum laciniatum and its look-a-like, Solanum aviculare, are in the nightshade family, and are related to tomatoes, eggplant and tobacco. It is. The Kangaroo Apple has been used as a medicine and a food by native peoples in Australia and New Zealand for thousands of years. It is also known as Poroporo and Large Kangaroo Apple; the common name comes from the kangaroo foot-print-like shape of the deeply lobed leaves.
Kangaroo Apple fruit must be ripe before it is consumed.
All parts of the plant are poisonous, although the ripe fruit, when it becomes soft, and orange to red and naturally fall from the plant, is said to be edible if cooked.
Henry Sapiecha
Any questions or if buying, contact me HERE
