I have a male and female tree. They are volunteers. Volunteers always seem to do better than the plants I buy.

The fruit on this tree are large, tasty and multitudinous (largest 2-3kg). It keeps me and several friends amply supplied. I work at keeping it upright so the weight of the fruit does not snap the top off (which was the fate of its predecessor).

My major difficulty with it is the shading out of my daylilies: some of which I have had to move. I keep younger volunteers going ready to replace the fruiting tree for when it is lost.

This is the nearby male. The flowers are beloved of honeyeaters for their nectar.



When the spent blooms fall to the ground a large male Eastern Bearded Dragon comes daily and eats them.

Oh that's amazing! Do you ever have issues with birds eating the fruit before you can harvest?

Tom, the worst are Black and Grey-headed Flying Foxes. These mega bats smell the fruit as soon as they start to turn even a bit yellow. They are like exocets focussing in. You have to bring the fruit in as soon as it starts to mature. The bats also damage the green fruit with their claws while hanging there having a munch on the ripe fruit.

Birds can be a problem. Friarbirds have featherless heads that are ideally suited for getting right inside large fruit. With no feathers the plumage doesn't get matted from the pouring juices. In the north, Helmeted is a big problem but the Noisy Friarbird here in the south prefers blooms more.

I have to put nets around any fruit I don't want the birds to devour. I don't mind sharing some, but I want my share too.