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Common Name:

General Information

Muehlenbeckia axillaris is a Deciduous Climber up to 0.30 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of materials.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Australia - Victoria, Tasmania. New Zealand.

Habitat

Gravelly and rocky places and open grassland southwards from 38° south in North and South Islands of New Zealand[]. Scrub and river flats to the sub-alpine zone[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Deciduous Climber
Height	0.30 m
Growth Rate	Medium
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a well-drained soil in sun or semi-shade[].
Plants are not hardy outside the milder areas of Britain, but given a position sheltered from cold drying winds they tolerate temperatures down to about -15°c[].
A climbing plant that supports itself by twining around other plants etc[]. Plants can become invasive, spreading by means of underground shoots[].
A dioecious species - both male and female forms must be grown if fruit and seed are required.

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked. Sweet and juicy[]. The fruit is very small, only 3mm in diameter[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

A fast growing ground cover plant for a sunny position but it requires weeding for the first year or so[, ]. Once established, it can swamp out small plants[].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 8 cm with a heel, mid summer in a frame. Pot up in autumn and overwinter in a cold frame. High percentage[]. Plant out in late spring.
Cuttings of mature wood of the current season's growth, 5 - 10cm with a heel, autumn in a cold frame. High percentage[].
Division in spring[].