Currant Bush
Origin of name
Family: PHYLLANTHACEAE
- Antidesma meaning “against a band“
- parvifolium meaning “small-leaved“
Occurrence
Occurs locally in vine thickets, monsoon forest, dry rainforest and coastal scrubs.
Cultivation requirements are poorly known. Likely to prefer good drainage, but appears tolerant of full sun, stony soil and little protection at maturity.
Appearance
Bushy shrub (2-3m) with dense foliage, semi-deciduous in the dry. Small male and female flowers (Nov-Jan) occur in short spikes, on separate plants. Female flowers
are followed by clusters of small, fleshy, black fruit (Feb-Mar).
Indigenous use: Ripe fruit eaten; plant gums extracted. Edible fruit can be eaten raw or used in jams. A purple dye is extracted for use in fibre/fabric dyeing.
