SANTALUM acuminatum - Native Peach 100g

The Quandong is a truly unique native Australian fruit. The round fruit range in colour from yellow, and pink to deep shiny red with a distinctive tart flavour, sweetened with sugar or honey.
Re-hydrated in water, dried fruit can be made into sauces, jams, dried fruit leather etc. Traditionally Aboriginal people would eat the raw flesh or dry it out to store it for later use. The flesh is high in vitamin C, and low in sugar.
Trees typically grow 2 to 3 metres in height, with a dense leathery crown of leaves perhaps 2 metres wide.

Found in the arid and semi-arid regions of all Australian mainland states.

Please Note: Although many of the traditional Bush Food and Medicine plants are now commercially produced in various forms we recommend you research these before using them as any form of food or medicine. Some parts of the plant may not be edible or some may need to be prepared before they are safe to eat or use in any way. We do our best to describe their traditional & modern uses. It is the purchaser's responsibility to ensure they are fit for their intended use.

Adaptable to most dry well-drained soils in an open sunny position, drought and frost tolerant and high soil salinity.

Grow notes:

Quandong seeds have a hard casing, to assist germination it is best to break through that casing to allow moisture to be absorbed and start the germination process.
This can be achieved in a number of ways, filing with a file or cutting with a hacksaw blade.
Our preferred method is the hacksaw as it easily cuts through the hard shell.

1. It is best to cut in the centre of the seed, care needs to be taken not to damage the embryo. As you cut through carefully check on the colour as you progress, just before you expose the embryo you will notice a whiter colour appear in the shell, proceed to cut slowly until you just see the colour of the embryo.
2. Soak the seed in water for 24 hours to allow water to ingress into the embryo then simply sow the seed approximately 8-10mm under the surface of the growing mix.
3. Keep warm and moist at around 20-24°C (68-75F)
4. Germination can vary depending on temperature, moisture levels and how well you have cut or sanded your seed but expect results in 28-90 days.

The seed will also germinate successfully in the compost pile, providing it is kept moist and retains heat. Simply cover the compost with a damp hessian bag and stay moist. Check periodically for germination.

Due to the size of this seed, a $4.00 additional shipping charge is applied as it can only be posted as a parcel.