Edible portions: Fruit, Leaves, Flowers - pistil
A deciduous shrub or vine. It can be erect or spreading. It grows 3 m high. The branches are weak and arching. The side branches end in short leafless spines. It forms suckers freely. The leaves are oval and grey-green and taper to the tip. They are 2-5 cm long and 1 cm wide. The flowers are lilac-purple and shaped like tubes. They have 5 petals. The flowers are self fertile, so only one plant is needed to set fruit. They are in clusters of 1 to 4. The fruit are oval and orange red berries. These are 25 mm across.
It is a temperate plant. It is grown as a hedge. It does well in coastal sites and on unstable sandy banks. It is best in full sun. It can with stand cold temperatures. It can also tolerate hot summers. It can grow on a wide range of soils. It cannot tolerate water-logging. It suits hardiness zones 6-10. Tasmania Herbarium.