Plant of the Month August 2018

Solanum laciniatum (Poroporo, Kangaroo Apple)

Family: Solanaceae

Origin: New Zealand, SE Australia
Location: Australia/New Zealand
Accession: 2012

S. laciniatum is a large evergreen shrub to 3m or more, with pinnately-lobed juvenile leaves 30cm long and smaller lance-shaped adult leaves 15cm long. Its light purplish-blue flowers, 5cm wide, with broadly triangular petals, are followed by egg-shaped bright orange-yellow berries, 2-3cm long. All green parts of the plant and the unripe fruit are toxic; the young foliage contains a series of steroids which are of commercial value as raw material for the manufacture of contraceptives. It is not fully hardy, and is short-lived even with frost protection, but is easily propagated from seed.

Thanks to Maggie Gowland for photographs.