'MEAKITCH' SOUTHERN KANGAROO APPLE (Solanum laciniatum) Seeds

Forms a large shrub 4m high by 5 m wide. Dark green succulent stems, which turn black then a rough light-brown with age.

Flowers appear in spring and summer in clusters of 3-5, the egg shaped berries 20-30mm long are bright orange-yellow when ripe.

A fast growing species, hardy in most soils types and conditions, except salt spray. Produces its first fruit and seed when 2 or more years old. Sunny position, tolerates temperatures down to at least -7c

Bush Food: Fruit - raw or cooked, the early fruits that form are at first yellow or green and highly poisonous, but can be eaten when they are at their ripest, turning a blood-orange colour. It can be used as a sweet fruit or as a vegetable. Fruit is sickly sweet and often bitter.

Bush medicine: The fruit was used as a poultice on swollen joints. The plant contains a steroid which is important to the production of cortisone. The fruit contains high levels of the alkaloid solanine, which can be infused from the leaves with hot water to create steroids.

Germination: Seed require no pre-treatment, germinates at 20c in 2-3 weeks. prick out seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle.