Brush lilly pilly

What it is

Brush lilly pilly is Syzygium australe, in the myrtle family. The fruit is pink-red to red, longer than it is wide and sometimes pear-shaped. It reaches about 2.5 cm (1 in) long and 1.5 cm (0.6 in) wide. A small round seed sits inside the crisp flesh, which combines mild sweetness with a sour edge.

Where it comes from

Its home is the coast of eastern Australia, from north of Batemans Bay in New South Wales up through Queensland to around Cairns. It grows in warm rainforest, often beside streams. It has long been grown in Australian gardens, where dense foliage makes it useful as a hedge as well as a fruit plant.

How it's eaten where it grows

Indigenous Australians ate the ripe fruit raw. European settlers later made lilly pillies into jam, jelly, sauces, preserves and wine.

At High Valley Dawn in Lammermoor, Queensland, a lilly pilly jam recipe starts with deseeded fruit, sugar, star anise, cloves and chia seeds. The berries simmer in water until thick, then are mashed and finished with lemon juice. The spiced jam goes on morning toast.

How it's grown

This is a tree that tolerates regular, heavy pruning into a dense hedge. It grows in full sun or partial shade and likes enriched soil that drains well. Growers raise it from seed or softwood cuttings, taken from young shoots. New leaves open reddish-pink, then become glossy green, and the pink new growth keeps the plant attractive for much of the year.

When and where you'll find it

In Australia, flowering usually runs from November to February, in late spring and early summer, and the berries follow in autumn. They are ready to pick when they turn pink or dark red.

Beyond the rainforest, the tree is a popular garden hedge, and it grows in bush-food gardens such as the food forest at High Valley Dawn in Lammermoor, Queensland.