Quandong (native peach)

Quandong is a remarkable Australian native that presents unique growing challenges — it is a hemiparasite, needing a host plant (typically a native Acacia or cassia) to attach its roots to for part of its nutrition. First fruit typically appears around year five, though some trees take longer. The bright red fruit has a tart, peach-like flavour prized in Australian bush food cuisine, and the decorative nuts have been used for centuries in Aboriginal art. It thrives in arid, well-drained conditions and will not tolerate waterlogging. Not a beginner plant, but genuinely fascinating.