Medicinal Uses

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Fruit | Edible Uses: CoffeeFruit - raw or cooked. Freely produced in Britain, it is sweet but with little flavour[225]. The fruit is white or blue and about 8mm long x 6mm wide[200, 225]. The roasted seed is an excellent coffee substitute[153].

Cultivation

Requires a moist, very well-drained neutral to slightly acid soil in full sun or light shade[200]. Succeeds in most soils[225]. Somewhat intolerant of frost, this species is only likely to succeed outdoors in the mildest areas of Britain[200]. Another report says that it is quite hardy in Britain[225]. Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[200, 225]. Plants are tolerant of heavy clipping or pruning[225]. Plants are normally dioecious, though in some species the plants produce a few flowers of the opposite sex before the main flowering and a few hermaphrodite flowers are sometimes produced[225]. Male and female plants must usually be grown if seed is required.

Known Hazards

None known

Habitats

Lowland to montane and lower sub-alpine grassland, shrubland and forest margins in North and South Islands[44].