The Kangaroo Apple is also known as the Bush Tomato. Only when it’s blushing and bursting with ripe, red fruit is it safe to eat. It’s a magnificent plant to observe over time as the fruit changes from green, yellow, orange, and red while the flowers bloom a lovely lilac.
The leaves of the plant resemble the paw print of the kangaroo hence its name. It is a medium-sized shrub that grows in NSW, ACT, VIC, SA, and Tasmania.
Table of Contents
Kangaroo Apple Mini Study
Indoor Prep Work
Read Kangaroo Apple by Australian National Botanic Gardens
Field Work
Visit a conservation park or search roadsides for the Kangaroo Apple. We found this one on a roadside in SA. Take photos of your plant, its seeds, fruit, leaves, and flowers. Use your metadata to measure the plant, its fruit, leaves, and flowers so you’re able to sketch a life-size specimen in your field journal. What type of soil is it growing in? Is it a healthy plant? Why or why not? Which insects are pollinating it?
Field Journaling
Draw or paste a photo of your plant inside your field journal. Older children can sketch the plant and its parts such as the fruit, leaves, and flowers as well as label them. Don’t forget to add the date, weather, time, and place. Make a note of all you’ve observed on and around this plant alongside your field sketches.
Activities
- Search the area for other bush tucker plants.
- Make your own Bush Tucker Mini-Guide for your area.
- Paint the leaves and press them into your journal to make prints.
Would you like to learn more about the Kangaroo Apple?
The Australian Nature Study Guide Volume 1 has a full lesson on the Kangaroo Apple that includes a picture study, and activities for kinda, primary, and secondary school-aged children.
YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN:
HONEYBEE MINI STUDY
EXTRAORDINARY BEES
BLUE-TONGUE LIZARD MINI STUDY
TREE ECOSYSTEM MINI STUDY
AMPHIBIAN METAMORPHOSES MINI STUDY
JACKY WINTER
EARN YOUR NATURE CLUB BADGES WHILE EXPLORING BUSHFOOD BY OBSERVING, COLLECTING DATA, OR NATURE JOURNALING.
