Fruits taste like cloves

Medium tree, buttressed growing to 30 metres in forest or 5-10 metre shrub in cultivation, new growth in bright pink. Found in subtropical rainforest and along moist, scrubby watercourses. Ranging from Kempsey NSW to Cooktown, North Queensland. Simple leaves, opposite, blade glossy, dark green above, paler below. Leaves are oval to lanceolate, rounded into base and drawn out to a blunt point at apex, 2-5 cm long. Flowers are a creamish white, four or five petals. Flowers November to December. Widely cultivated as a garden plant; hardy on coast and can be grown in full sun or partial shade. Superb tub plant. A very dense tree, usually narrow in habit, but can be pruned easily to shape. Edible, the riberry fruits have a clove flavouring. The fruit can be used for making jam, and in tarts, meat sauce, and cakes. The whole fruit can be blended for use in icecream.

Photo: BRAIN

Seed collecting and propagation

Fruit is a pinkish red berry, pear-shaped 9-12 mm in diameter. Ripe December to January. Can be propagated easily from either seed or cuttings. Sow fresh seed after removing the flesh. Germination takes 3 to 4 weeks.