Wild Fruit by Alain Geneve

Author:Alain Geneve
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Timber Press
Published: 2014-07-30T16:00:00+00:00

Briançon apricot, fruit.

4–6 m

April/May

Mid-August/September

800–1700 m

Unpalatable

REDOUL

Coriaria myrtifolia · Coriariaceae

Redoul, flowers.

Rich in tannins, this plant was long used to tan leather and indeed its botanical name derives from the Latin corium, which means ‘leather’. The black colouring extracted from its fruit was also used as a dye. Its common name of redoul comes from Occitan, the medieval language of Languedoc, and refers to the intoxicated state observed in goats when they eat its young shoots, of which they are rather fond. The goats begin to tremble and dance bizarrely and often ultimately die from the poison. Redoul grows mainly in the Mediterranean and is not found in Britain.

The plant prefers a sunny location and chalky soil. Its angular stem bears many flexible, curved, opposite branches, and its oval leaves end in a small point and resemble myrtle leaves. Three veins are clearly visible on its light green, undulate leaf blades, which are attached via a shortened petiole that spreads somewhat on the branch. Small, greenish flowers form sprawling clusters. The calyx has five sepals that intertwine with the five petals that make up the corolla, which contains ten stamens and very thin reddish styles. Redoul produces shiny, black accessory fruit. When fruiting begins, the floral organs become fleshy and turn a blood red colour. They progressively curve to surround the fruit and turn black. When ripe, the fruit resemble blackberries, for which they are all too often mistaken – dangerously so, as the plant is extremely toxic.

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