Native to the south-east of Australia, the top of Tassie and to New Zealand (where it is commonly known as poroporo or NZ nightshade), the Kangaroo Apple (solanum laciniatum) is an interesting plant with diverse uses in medicine. As well as it being bush tucker, Aboriginal use of the plant employs its natural anti-inflammatory steroidal properties, these also being used in western medicine to produce steroids and as an ingredient in contraceptive pills. The Kangaroo Apple is in the deadly nightshade family, along with many other foods that have toxic qualities, such as tomatoes, potatoes and eggplants (to which they are closely related) . The reasons for the plant's common name are not as clear-cut as it first suggests. Some say that kangaroos don't care for them, due to the bitter taste of even the reddest, ripest fruit. I can attest that I have never seen a kangaroo, or even evidence of one, in the vicinity of the six plants growing here. Others claim that the shape of young leaves resembles that of a kangaroo paw-print - which it does. The leaves and unripe fruit contain the toxic alkaloid solasidine. Dogs are particularly sensitive to this, so this plant is not for you if you have a nibble anything type hound - or young children. The plants flower toward the end of spring. When I bought and planted them I didn't realise that, while they were described as 'drought tolerant', they weren't keen on full afternoon sun - so these plants, out in the open and bearing the full brunt of it, struggle - whereas these south-facing plants have the benefit of a shed for some shade plus taller plants around them. As you can see, they do produce quite a lot of fruit (which is smallish, like misshapen cherry tomato) and no, I haven't been game to try them. I did read, though, that if you want to play it safe, try one that's so ripe that it's fallen onto the ground. If you can beat the birds to it, that is.
1 Comment
Marion May Campbell
14/3/2018 11:25:50 am
Again what delicacy in this shot: love the painterly contrast between the intense gold of the fruit and the out of focus paler violets. Lovely irony in the deadly being so often smuggled in with the healing balm and delicious life-giving fruit.
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February 2019
January - Grass Tree
February - Kangaroo Apple - Large-leaf Grevillea March - Silver Banksia April - Drooping Sheoak May - Correa June - Grevillea July - Buddleja August - Sundews September - Native Hibiscus October - Running Postman November - Hakea December - Sticky Hop Bush |