Billardiera
BILLARDIERA LONGIFLORA.--Blue Apple Berry. Van Diemen's Land, 1810. If
only for its rich, blue berries, as large as those of a cherry, this
otherwise elegant climbing shrub is well worthy of a far greater share
of attention than it has yet received, for it must be admitted that it
is far from common. The greenish bell-shaped blossoms produced in May
are, perhaps, not very attractive, but this is more than compensated
for by the highly ornamental fruit, which renders the plant an object
of great beauty about mid-September. Leaves small and narrow, on
slender, twining stems, that clothe well the lower half of a garden
wall in some sunny favoured spot. Cuttings root freely if inserted in
sharp sand and placed in slight heat, while seeds germinate quickly.