What is this plant - Please ID (forum)

Linton starts with ...
Please advise the name of this plant which seems to be edible as it is grown for it's dark purple conical/pointy shaped berries.

It is a small to medium size bush, about 2 metres high and the berries grow in clusters along the branches. It also has long sharp spines along the stems. Thanks in advance.
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Time: 29th May 2017 6:28pm

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BlackThumbed says...
Hi Linton,
The plant mentioned above is classified as Fly honeysuckle. An edible berry found through the cool northern hemisphere.

BlackThumbed

Time: 30th May 2017 9:14pm

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Linton says...
Thanks for your suggestion that it is Fly Honeysuckle (also known as Haskap), and the fruit indeed do look a bit similar. Having studied some images of the Honeysuckle the foliage is completely different to these.

Now I am certain that the plants I saw being cultivated locally are in the Berberis family having the distinctive long nipple like a pigs nose. Unfortunately there are hundreds of species of Berberis, also known as Barberries, so I'm unable to determine exactly which type these would be as they all look very similar.

Unsure of why they are being grown at a permaculture place as reports suggest the fruit of most Berberis varieties to be unpalatable. The ones I tried were bitter and instantly dried my mouth and I had to spit them out. Even B. Darwinii, which is grown in Melbourne and is supposed to be one of the better ones, is still claimed to be hardly edible.

Please advise if anyone is growing, or has ever eaten an acceptable Berberis/Barberry variety. These web pictures of Berberis fruits show a couple of types confirming that the plants I saw are definitely Berberis. Thank you.



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Time: 4th June 2017 12:08pm

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Original Post was last edited: 4th June 2017 7:33pm

About the Author Linton
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Joel15 says...
Hi Linton,

I'm not sure of the exact berberis species but it looks very familiar.
B. vulgaris used to be grown for its fruit in Europe but like the others was only eaten when very ripe.

Most Berberis are usually processed before eating and are useful for jams.

They still have a place in Permaculture systems as they are extremely hardy and make a good living barbed wire and habitat for small birds etc

Time: 6th June 2017 8:28am

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