Black currant
Antidesma parvifolium, Fam. Stilaginaceae
Small, bushy, semi-deciduous shrub with smooth grey bark and dense foliage, 2-3m high. The species is dioecious, with separate male and female plants.
| Weed Category: | |
| Weed: | No |
| Form or habit: | Shrub |
| Family: | Stilaginaceae |
| Leaf: | Small, oval, blunt, light green, 0.8-2.5 x 1-2.3cm, crowded on the stem. |
| Flower conspicuous: | Conspicuous |
| Flower colour: |
Yellow |
| Flower description: | 0.5-1.5cm long. Pale yellow, male flowers in spikes 1-2.5cm long, female flowers in racemes, 0.5-1.5cm long in the upper axils or terminally. November to January. |
| Fruit conspicuous: | Conspicuous |
| Fruit colour: |
Black, Purple |
| Fruit: | |
| Fruit description: | Purple black, fleshy, oval, 0.4-0.6cm long, containing a single hard seed. |
| Habitat: | Beach scrub, coastal dune, vine thicket, woodland. |
| Distribution | Queensland, Northern Territory. |
| Food source for: | |
| Toxicity: | No toxicity known |
| Origin: | Australia. |
| Notes: | Suitable for jam making. Propagate from seed or cuttings. |
| Information sources: | Townsend K. & the Society for Growing Australian Plant Townsville Branch Inc. (1994) Across the Top: Gardening with Australian Plants in the tropics. |
