These are tropical ‘cherries’ from a Grumichama tree. These came from a small tree stuck in a 50cm pot for the last few years. They’re delicious - sweeter than a strawberry guava and without the slight grittiness that some people get from guavas and feijoas. Grumichama comes from southern Brazil which has lots of Gondwanan cousins to Australian species in the Myrtaceae. Grumichama is essentially a Brazilian Lilly Pilly. This specimen survived -2 c in the Burnley Nursery two winters ago so I’m calling as do-able for most of Melbourne. My specimens came from @daleysfruit as tube stock #grumichama #eugeniabrasiliensis #myrtaceae #plantsofbrazil #newfavouritefruit #plantit #trysomethingnew #urbanorchards

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Lotus time of year. The perfume will always remind me of swimming in crocodile free Kimberley waterholes Apologies to all Tryophobics out there. I can’t remember the name of this cultivar which doesn’t full open like the classic model #nelumbonucifera #lotusflower #tryophobia #australiannativeplant #surprising #edibleplants #bushfoods #indigenousfoods #novelcrops #panc #asianplants #sacredplants #sacredflowers

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Abyssinian Bananas into their second growing season with rampant Malabar Gourd/Shark Fin Melon as sprawling ‘living mulch’. There are melons on these already, it’ll definitely need cutting back at times during summer #abyssinianbanana #enseteventricosum #enset #malabargourd #sharkfinmelon #curcubitaficifolia #livingmulch #mulchmadness #rampantplant #photosynthesis #soakinguptherays #ithinksummerishere #plantsofethiopia #plantsofmexico #agroecology #unusualedibles #novelcrops #panc #perennialedibles #urbanagriculture

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It’s a rescue! I can reveal that @fruitnerd Thanh Truong was my connect this year for giant African Yams . However in a shock confession he has revealed that he kept one lonely tuber to himself. After a brief struggle this neglected sprouting monster is now safely rescued, soon to be planted into the growing Yam community at Burnley #africanyam #dioscoreacayennensis #westafricanfood #sproutingyam #giveitback #thestruggleisreal #adealisadeal #honourthecode #connect #novelcrops #panc #thanksasalways #teamvietnam

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This is Cassava SM150. @bluesgirlbecsta and I have inherited a collection of Cassava varieties from the Monash University Botany Department (story for another day). Meanwhile SM150 is very unusual with beautiful, distinctive foliage. Cassava is a heat loving perennial which grows optimally between 30 and 40 degrees Celsius so it thrives in summer and then it dies when outside in Melbourne at the faintest hint of a cold night 😑. It’s the staple carb crop for about 1 billion people globally who eat the starchy roots. I’ve managed to keep them going in an unheated polytunnel by ruthlessly droughting them for 4 to 6 months from autumn through spring. They’re so robust that they’ll happily sit in pots as dried sticks for this period and then come back to life when re-watered in October. So root production is limited in our climate but some communities love eating the (thoroughly cooked) leaves. So the aim here is to have Cassava at least available for leaf production in summer and to look good shimmering in the sun on 40+ degree day #cassava #manihotesculenta #cassavaleaves #tropicalplantsinmelbourne #polytunnelgrowing #perennialcrops #novelcrops #panc #plantsofsouthamerica #indigenouscrops #edibleornamentals #urbanagriculture

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