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  • Solanum aviculare

Solanum aviculare

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Common name: Kangaroo Apple


Solanum aviculare is a small to medium evergreen shrub native to Australia. Kangaroo Apple is a colonizing plant: fast-growing, short-lived (5 to 6 years), and appearing after fire or on a disturbed site. VanDusen lost many of its eucalyptus trees in the Southern Hemisphere Garden from an extreme cold spell last winter (2021-22). Kangaroo Apple has been planted scattered about this area. This spreading shrub is easy on the eye and an effective short-term replacement.


Its flowers are up to 4 cm/1.5 in across and bloom spring and summer. They are an eye-catching bluish-violet with a deep violet star-shaped marking at the base and bright yellow anthers. Native bees visit the flowers and aid fertilization by buzz fertilization. The bees sit on top of the anthers and vibrate their wings. This causes pollen to lift out of the upright anthers and stick to the bees’ bodies. The pollen is carried to other flowers and cross pollination takes place. Egg-shaped berries about 2 cm/.75 in long follow the flowers. Initially they are green then age to orange-red. 


The genus name Solanum is from the Latin ‘solamen’ for solace, referring to the narcotic properties of some species. The common name ‘Kangaroo Apple’ comes from the kangaroo foot-print-like shape of the deeply lobed leaves and the fruit. For thousands of years indigenous Australians and Maoris have used the Kangaroo Apple as a food source and in their medicine. Only the ripened fruit can be eaten - every other part of the plant is poisonous. Kangaroo Apple belongs to the Solanaceae (Potato family) - a family that evolved early in the history of plants. 


The pictures were taken in the Southern Hemisphere Garden in September, 2022 by Hughie Jones, who also wrote the text.

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  • Home
  • Updates
    • What's New
    • Curator Updates
    • Garden Stories >
      • Garden Story Index
    • Self-Guided Tours
    • Walks & Talks >
      • Walks and Talks 2023
      • Walks and Talks 2022
      • Walks -Talks 2021 & Zoom Tips
    • PDFs of Updates, Tours, & Talks >
      • Self-guided Tours (PDF)
      • Gardener Walks (PDF)
  • Plant IDs
    • ID By Flower Color >
      • Red Flowers
      • Pink Flowers
      • Orange Flowers
      • Yellow Flowers
      • Green Flowers
      • Blue Flowers
      • Purple Flowers
      • White Flowers
    • ID By Type >
      • Annuals
      • Berries-Fruits-Nuts
      • Bulbs, Corms, Rhizomes, Tubers >
        • Bulbs
        • Corms
        • Rhizomes
        • Tubers
      • Ferns
      • Grasses
      • Medicinal Plants
      • Native Plants
      • Perennials >
        • Peonies
        • Salvias
      • Rhododendrons >
        • Rhodendron Erica Notes
      • Shrubs >
        • Calycanthus
        • Hydrangeas >
          • Hydrangea Background
        • Peonies >
          • Peonies-Overview
        • Rhododendrons
        • Roses >
          • Rose Background
      • Trees >
        • Conifers >
          • Cypress
          • Firs
          • Pines
        • Deciduous Trees >
          • Dogwoods
          • Ginkgos
          • Magnolias
          • Witch Hazels
        • Native Trees
        • Tree of the Month
  • In the Garden
    • Map and Collection Lists
    • Art in the Garden >
      • Symposium & Exhibitions
    • Building and Grounds >
      • Bridges
      • Formal Rose Garden Hardscape and Art
      • Grotto Area & Black Garden
      • Korean Pavilion
      • Maze
    • Gardener Assignments
    • Collections >
      • Ash Collection
      • Camellia Collection
      • Rhododendron Walk
    • Gardens >
      • Gardens A-D >
        • Alma VanDusen Garden
        • Backyard Bird Garden
        • Bentall Garden
        • Black Garden
        • Canadian Heritage Garden >
          • Bees
          • Canadian Heritage Orchard
        • Cascadia Garden
        • Cherry Grove
        • Chilean Garden
      • Gardens E-H >
        • Eastern North America Garden
        • Fern Dell
        • Formal Rose Garden
        • Fragrance Garden
        • Heather Garden
        • Herb Garden
        • Heritage Rose Garden
      • Gardens I-P >
        • Laburnum Walk
        • Livingstone Lake
        • Meconopsis Dell
        • Meditation Garden
        • Mediterranean Garden
        • Ornamental Grasses
        • Perennial Garden
      • Gardens R-Z >
        • Rhododendron Walk
        • Sino-Himayalan Region
        • South African Garden
        • Southern Hemisphere
        • Stone Garden
        • Vegetable Garden
        • Woodland Garden
    • Garden History >
      • History photos
  • Science
    • Animals & Insects >
      • Birds
      • Butterflies and Moths
      • Insect Friends
      • Small Creatures
    • Buds
    • Colour and Vision
    • Dynamic Symmetry - Fibonacci Spirals
    • Flowers
    • Fruit
    • Germination
    • Habitats and Environments
    • Hormones
    • Leaves
    • Life on Earth
    • Light, Energy, and Rainbows
    • Plant Calendars
    • Pollination
    • Pollen
    • Roots
    • Scents
    • Seeds
    • Soil
    • Stems
    • Vascular Plants
    • Web of Interdependence
    • Weeds
  • Bloedel
  • Search
  • About
    • ERICA, ERICA'S TREE (and a short history of Guiding) - June 14, 2018
  • Contact