Blue rubi
Lasianthus strigosus
Family: Rubiaceae
What it is like
A shrub. The branches are flattish and dark brown. The leaves are long and sword shaped. There are some hairs on the veins underneath the leaf. The leaf is stiff and with saw-like teeth along the edge. The leaf stalk is short and 4 mm long. The fruit are 1.5 cm long by 1.1 cm wide. They occur singly or in clusters. The outer surface of the fruit is finely hairy. The cut fruit has an offensive smell. There are about 4 seeds inside. They are 5 mm long. The flesh is edible.
There are 150 Lasianthus species.
Where it is found
It is a tropical plant. It grows naturally in the lowland rainforest.
Countries/locations it is found in
Asia, Australia (country/location of origin), East Timor, Indonesia, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, SE Asia, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste
How it is used for food
Edible parts
Fruit
How it is grown
In Australia, fruit occurs from March to December.