CLIMBING BLUEBERRY (Billardiera longiflora)

[NaturalGreenthumb]

Any one have CLIMBING BLUEBERRY (Billardiera longiflora)?

How big does the bush or vine get get?

Does it really taste like apple?

[starling]

Hi natural,

have you ever heard the euphemism 'tired and emotional' used to describe somebody who is completely tanked?

Well, the euphemisms 'purple apple berry' and 'climbing blueberry' are far, far more linguistically generous than that one will ever be.

In a word, no; it doesn't taste anything like apple or blueberry. The consistency is somewhat like apple.

This is a Tasmanian species which is mostly ornamental. Yes, you can eat it--the question is, would you really want to? They have a mealy turpy taste which can be acrid. I believe they are cooked more than they are eaten fresh.

s

[murraystevena2]

I've tried growing the apple berry and the blue variety. I have not tried the fruit yet. Now I only have one of the appleberry left of Billardiera scandens. It had a few fruits the first year but it hasn't produced fruit since then. It's a small skinny vine.

[mangomike]

We had a Billardiera at the botanical garden (forget which sp.) It was a small wiry vine. I tried  the fruit once; I recall that the flavor was okay, but the flesh-to-seed ration was the main drawback.

Still, they would be an interesting plant in the right spot. I suspect there may be better quality clones in Australia somewhere.