More commonly known as Downy Myrtle or Ceylon Hill Gooseberry this shrub puts on a great display of white to dark pink flowers in late spring followed by an edible fruit in autumn. The maroon colored fruit grows to about one centimetre long and has a sweet though non-descript berry flavour. It contains small seeds and while it can be eaten whole, I prefer to discard the calyx lobes at the end of the fruit. The fruit ripen progressively through autumn and if some fruit has failed to reach this stage when the cold of winter arrives, they will remain dormant over winter and finish the job the following spring.

The plant itself can grow to about 3 metres high with a spread of about 1.5 metres and has oval shaped leaves which are pale olive colored on the upper surface and covered with fine grey hairs on the under side. Pruning will keep the plant shapely and the fruit at a height which is easy to access. Heavy grazing, that is , kids scrambling through the shrub trying to reach fruit has kept one of our plants well pruned if somewhat unshapely.

Rhodomyrtus tomentosa will grow best in a sunny position in fertile soil but will tolerate heavier, poorly drained soils and light shade. Our two plants are self seeded from an earlier specimen and are growing on the edge of a rock wall in subsoil.

This plant is a member of a genus which contains 11 species. Aside from South East Asia, 7 species are native to Australia and 1 to New Caldonia.
The most commonly known Australian species is R. macrocarpa, a rainforest tree from far north Queensland. Its fame is due to the unfortunate fact that digesting large quantities of fruit from this tree can make you blind within 24 hours and result in permanent damage. An education program earlier last century raised awareness of this fact in Queensland. Needless to say, make sure you plant the edible R. tomentsa if you have children or ones that visit.

Apart from eating the fruit fresh of the plant, it makes a nice jam, pie filling with apples and if simmered with a small amount of sugar and water, is a delicious compote to serve over a bowl of ice cream.

If you have children or grand children, plant a Ceylon Hill Gooseberry and take them on a fruit gathering tour of your garden.