Winter Apple

Winter Apple (also called Amulla, Devil’s Marble and Johnny Apple) is a densely foliated edible native groundcover that produces reddish berry-sized fruits throughout the warmer months. It belongs to a genus of plants known for their drought-hardiness (the name *Eremophila* derives from Greek “eremos” and “phileo”, meaning “desert lover”) and ability to thrive in most growing conditions, even light frosts. It is endemic to coastal areas, the tablelands, and dry sclerophyll woodlands in eastern Australia, ranging from north Queensland to the border between Victoria and New South Wales.

Winter Apple fruits are drupes, sizing at around 10mm in diameter, and resembling miniature apples when reaching their reddish purple colour upon ripening. They grow in strands along fruit-bearing stalks amidst the plant’s foliage. The fruit tastes bitter, but is said to turn sweeter in wetter growing conditions. Try them as a fresh snacking berry like Lilly Pilly, but watch out for the large seed that takes up the majority of the fruit.

This bushfood plant flowers in Spring and Summer, with berries developing late in the hot season. Flowers of this species are mainly white but can be pink or mauve.

Winter Apple prefers full sun, but will tolerate partly shaded areas in warmer regions. For best results, ensure a well-drained soil with plenty of organic matter for nutrients. Leaves are green and narrow, and grow along stems that readily produce roots when near the soil.

This bushfood plant species grows no taller than 0.3m in height with a sprawl of around 2m. It makes an attractive groundcover. Suitable for coastal plantings, green walls, living mulch, and rockeries, and may be considered part of the Herb or Shrub layer in a backyard micro-forest.

Aboriginal name(s):

• Amulla