Native Shrubs

Blue tongue — Melastoma affine

Melastoma affine

Food for native birds Host plant for butterflies and insects Pollinator favourite Shelter for wildlife Showy flowers Resilient garden plant

$7.00

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Plant profile

At a glance

The essentials for finding the right garden position.

Mature size: Height: 1–3 m · Width: 1–2 m
Light: Full sun, Part shade
Water: Moist, Seasonally wet
Soil: Sandy, Loamy, Clay
Drainage: Poorly drained
Vegetation type: Wallum / Sandy Heath, Wetlands / Swamps / Creek Margins, Wet Eucalypt, Rainforest
Plant lifespan: Perennial
Plant form: Shrubs

Plant ratings

A quick guide to this plant’s value for wildlife and the garden.

Bird food value
Host plant value
Pollinator value
Shelter & habitat value
Flower display
Garden resilience

About this plant

Blue tongue is a softly textured shrub with large purple flowers, prominent golden stamens and dark edible berries that can stain the mouth blue. The flowers are especially appealing when visited by native bees, which vibrate the anthers to collect pollen. Its foliage, flowers and fruit make it a lively feature for mixed borders and wildlife-friendly gardens.

Image credits:
Feature image: Melburnian via Wikimedia Commons — CC BY 3.0
Flowers and foliage: Lucas Christofides via iNaturalist photo 437536612 — CC BY 4.0.
Mature plant: brechtverstraete via iNaturalist photo 508174423 — CC0 1.0.

More plant details

Garden uses: Habitat shrub, informal screen, mixed native border and mid-storey planting; especially suited to sites reflecting Wallum / Sandy Heath, Wetlands / Swamps / Creek Margins, Wet Eucalypt, Rainforest.
Wildlife value: Purple flowers supply pollen to buzz-pollinating bees. Ripe fruit feeds fruit-eating birds, foliage is a recorded food source for Coral Jewel caterpillars, and branching offers low cover.
Flowering and fruiting: Large purple flowers provide pollen to native bees and are followed by edible dark berries that stain the mouth.
Growth habit: Woody shrub or small tree with an informal native habit; indicative mature size 1–3 m × 1–2 m.
Cautions: Can self-seed in moist disturbed ground; fruit stains clothing and paving.