Common Name: Billy Goat Plum

General Information

Billy Goat Plum is a slender, spreading, deciduous shrub or small tree growing up to 14 metres tall[, ].
The edible fruit is harvested from the wild for local use. The fruit has one of the highest known contents of vitamin C and has come to be in great demand from food processing and pharmaceutical companies[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Australia - Northern Australia, Queensland, Western Australia.

Habitat

Sandplains behind beaches, dry creek beds, flood plains, cliff tops, ridges, coastal vine thickets, mangrove edges in Western Australia[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	10.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Succeeds in any moderately fertile, well-drained soil in a sunny position[]. Found in the wild on red sands, sandy clay, black peat, sandstone, ironstone and granite soils[].
The fruit of this species could contain the highest concentration of vitamin C to be found in any fruit in the world[]. It is being researched for its commercial potential[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked[, , ]. Eaten fresh, it can have a drying effect in the mouth[]. Used in making preserves, jams etc[]. About 3cm long, it has a slightly bitter-tasting flesh[]. The fruit looks and tastes like a gooseberry[]. It is one of the world's richest natural sources of ascorbic acid with some forms containing up to 3,150mg of ascorbic acid per 100g of fruit[]. When ripe, the fruit is soft and has a yellow-green colour - to harvest you merely shake the trunk of the tree and the ripe fruits fall to the ground[].

Medicinal

The pounded fruit is used as an antiseptic and as a soothing balm for aching limbs[]..

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

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