Drimys lanceolata

Drimys lanceolata grows on mountains. It’s a tough character (not a salty dog, more of a peppery fellow). Drimys lanceolata is native to mountainous and alpine areas of Australia and Tasmania and the spicy flavoured berries, leaves and twigs have long been used in Australian cuisine. The name ‘Drimys’ is derived from the Greek ‘drymis’ meaning acrid.

The slender leaves are a dark green and the young stems and twigs are a reddish purple. Star-shaped clusters of fragrant pinky-greeny-white flowers appear in the spring, and if you are lucky, you may follow these with little glossy purple-black berries provided you have both male and female plants growing near each other. The plants are dioecious, but in this case something as simple as counting the flower petals could reveal the gender of your Drimys lanceolata since the female flowers generally have 4 petals, while male flowers often have 6 to 8.

In the wild this shrub or small tree could reach 3m in both height and breadth over many years which is a size that is fine for most gardens, but they can be pruned if needed. They grow naturally in mountainous areas, in temperate rainforest and woodland conditions, often growing along stream sides in sunny or lightly shaded and sheltered conditions so pretty amenable for our gardens.

As well as being an essential flavour addition to any bush kitchen, the mountain pepperbush also has good preventative microbial properties against food spoilage. It has been used medicinally, particularly in the treatment of stomach disorders and scurvy. And finally, but most importantly for the gardener, this super shrub is generally unaffected by disease or insect attack. What an absolute winner!