The Kangaroo Apple is a fast-growing, evergreen shrub native to Australia and New Zealand. This member of the Solanum family can reach heights of up to 13 feet. Its visual appeal comes from its distinctive foliage, vibrant purple flowers, and egg-shaped berries that transition from green to a rich orange color. Understanding the plant’s needs for growth, care, and safe handling of its fruit is important for cultivation.
Identifying the Kangaroo Apple and Its Varieties
The Kangaroo Apple is characterized by large, dark green leaves that are often deeply lobed, resembling a kangaroo’s footprint. These leaves can be up to 12 inches long, forming a dense canopy. Throughout spring and summer, the plant produces showy, five-petaled, trumpet-shaped flowers ranging from lilac to deep purple, often featuring bright yellow anthers.
The two species commonly referred to as Kangaroo Apple are Solanum aviculare and Solanum laciniatum, which share similar appearances and growth habits. S. laciniatum often exhibits darker purple flowers with notched lobes and larger seeds. S. aviculare may have lighter purple blossoms and tends to prefer slightly more moisture. Both species produce egg-shaped fruit that starts green and matures to a distinctive orange or reddish-orange hue.
Establishing the Plant: Siting and Initial Cultivation
The Kangaroo Apple thrives in mild temperate zones but is frost-tender. It prefers full sun for optimal growth, requiring at least six hours of direct sunlight daily. It can tolerate partial shade, particularly in hotter climates, and is often used as a pioneer plant to provide shelter for less robust species.
The ideal soil is well-drained, though the plant is adaptable to sandy, loamy, or clay compositions. Amending the planting site with organic matter, such as compost, improves drainage and moisture retention. When planting, dig a hole twice the width of the root ball, place the plant at the same depth as the nursery pot, and water deeply to settle the soil.
Propagation can be accomplished using either seeds or semi-ripe cuttings. Seeds should be sown in spring, requiring consistent moisture and temperatures between 64 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit to germinate in approximately three weeks. Semi-ripe cuttings taken toward the end of summer can root more quickly. Deep, consistent watering is important for the first two years after planting to encourage a robust root system.
Ongoing Care: Pruning, Pests, and Seasonal Needs
Due to its fast-growing nature, the Kangaroo Apple benefits from regular pruning, which helps maintain a desirable shape and prevents the plant from becoming leggy. The optimal time for this maintenance is in early spring, just before the start of the new growth cycle. Pruning involves removing dead, diseased, or damaged wood first and then thinning out overcrowded branches to improve air circulation and light penetration.
The shrub responds well to hard pruning and can be cut back severely for rejuvenation or to form a standard shape. Making clean cuts just above an outward-facing bud or leaf node directs new growth outward, promoting a bushier, more compact form. Regular trimming also stimulates more abundant flowering and subsequent fruit production.
The Kangaroo Apple has moderate fertilizing needs and can be sustained with a balanced, slow-release fertilizer applied in the spring. Alternatively, a water-soluble quick-release product can be applied every two weeks during the growing season. Gardeners should monitor the plant for common pests such as aphids and glasshouse red spider mites. Increasing air circulation through proper pruning can help mitigate pest issues, but organic treatments like insecticidal soap may be necessary for heavier infestations.
The Kangaroo Apple requires attention to seasonal changes, particularly in cooler climates. Since it is sensitive to frost, plants in areas prone to freezing should be provided with protection or grown in containers that can be moved indoors. The plant’s short lifespan—often only five to six years—means that gardeners should plan for eventual replacement, easily achieved through its straightforward propagation methods.
Edibility and Safe Consumption Practices
The Kangaroo Apple is a member of the Solanum family, which includes common food plants like tomatoes and potatoes, but also many toxic species. A defining safety measure for this plant is the understanding that all parts of the plant, including the leaves, stems, and unripe fruit, contain high concentrations of toxic glycoalkaloids like solasodine. The concentration of these alkaloids is particularly high in the leaves and green fruit, which can be harmful if consumed.
For consumption, only the fully ripe fruit is considered safe, as the ripening process breaks down the toxic compounds. Ripe fruit is soft to the touch and has completely changed color from green to a deep orange or reddish-orange. The fruit is safest to consume when it is so ripe that it falls naturally from the plant, at which point any unpleasant acidity has typically diminished.
Traditional uses by Indigenous Australians and Māori included eating the ripe fruit and using the plant’s compounds in traditional medicine. Historically, the leaves and unripe fruit were commercially farmed for their solasodine content, which is a precursor for the synthesis of steroidal drugs. Given the toxicity of the unripe parts, modern consumption should strictly adhere to only eating fully ripened, softened, and fully colored fruit.