Fruiting plants (grown for their fruit) 2011

[Lesley Cox]

I'm already collecting seed for the NEXT seed lists and these are particularly good, to my mind. New Zealand, Australia and South America are very rich in such plants, likewise China and North America. I'd like to see many more both on the seed lists and here on the Forum. Pernettya (Gaultheria?) prostrata v. pentlandii ages from deep purple to pale lilac as it ripens. The fruit are sweetish to the taste.

[Lesley Cox]

Not sure of the ID of this one but the fruit starts crimson and then is aging to almost black. This year is its first to flower and fruit and there are still flowers on as the fruit ripens.

[dominique]

What a good ideae dear Lesley. Thank you
dom

[TheOnionMan]

very pretty fruits!

[Diane Whitehead]

Lesley,

Can you let us know how to use the fruits you are going to show?
Are they best when cooked, mixed into a fruit salad, or delicious
raw on their own?

[Lesley Cox]

Those above and any Gaultherias I've applied my tongue to, are slightly sweet and though are edible, I think I'd need to be pretty desperate to make a meal of them, they're so bland. Funnily enough, even the birds aren't bothering with them.

I've been harvesting Sorbus species and a jam or jelly can be made of at least some of those, but raw, they are dreadfully bitter/sour, yet the birds here strip them over night once they get to not quite ripe enough for ME to take.

I have another little plant with just 3 fruit on it and if I can get them in the frame I'll do a picture tomorrow. They are very small though and a few centrimetres apart.

[Lesley Cox]

Well here it is. Would anyone care to guess? The berries are slightly larger in the picture than life size. The third one has been tucked down the side and hasn't coloured properly.