PINK-FRUITED LIME BERRY Glycosmis trifoliata

Description : A bushy shrub or small tree, growing to a height of between 4 to 8 metres, usually to less than 4m in the garden. As the name suggests, the Lime Berry is related to the citrus, but the sweet, succulent, berries neither look nor taste like limes. Plants are quite hardy and start to bear fruit at a fairly early stage. Tiny white flowers are followed by large clusters of translucent pink berries, from 1 to 1.5 mm diameter, which start to appear in late Spring and will bear continually through most of the year, depending on climate.

Uses : The berries are best eaten, fresh, straight off the bush. The flesh is sweet, juicy and quite a pleasant flavour. Being in the Rutaceae family the Glycosmis is also a host plant for the swallowtail butterfly Papilio fuscus capaneus, so grow a few if you want both fruit and butterflies.