SCAEVOLA SPINESCENS Edible Native "Maroon Bush" 25cm

DESCRIPTIONS:

Scaevola Spinescens "Maroon Bush" is a hardy, evergreen shrub native to Australia, except Tasmania and Victoria.  It is characterised by its prickly foliage, fan-shaped flowers, and a growth habit that can be use for hedging or even edible bonsai.  It thrives in full sun to partial shade and prefers well-drained, fertile soil, but can tolerate sandy, salty, and dry conditions.  The plants is also known for its medicinal properties, with Aboriginal communities traditionally using it to treat various ailments. 

Appearance:  Maroon Bush is a rigid, divaricate shrub that can grow up to 2 metres tall.  Its branchlets are often  spinose (prickly) and can be glabrous (smooth) or have branched scurfy hairs, giving them a greyish appearance when young. The leaves are typically clustered, Obovate to linear and have entire (smooth) margins.

Flowers :  The flowers are solitary, borne in the leaf axils, and have slender stalks.  They are typically white or cream coloured,  sometimes with purple veins and have a distinctive fan-like shape. 

Fruits:  The fruits is an ovoid, fleshy structure that turns black or purplish when ripe. 

Habitat and Distribution:  This species is commonly found in drier areas of Australia, often on hillsides or stony sites. It is found in all mainland states except Victoria and Tasmania. 

Adaptability:  Maroon Bush is known for its resilience and ability to tolerate drought, sandy soil and some salinity.  It can be use in a variety of landscaping applications,  including scrub themed landscapes, hedgerows and even edible bonsai. 

Medicinal uses:  Aboriginal communities have traditionally used Maroon Bush for its medicinal properties,  particularly in treating intestinal and urinary issues, cancer, kidney, general sickness and heart diseases.