Found at the back of a graveyard. Big bushy type thing - as high as it is wide. Lots of fruit on it turning black. Would like to find out what it is so I can find out if its edible...
Effectively, not edible. Eating them won't kill you (as long as you don't chew up the stone inside!), but they don't taste nice either.
I just had a bite of the juicy berry and it was quite sweet. It's got a really edible feel to it. It feels like it would be a great addition to jelly or something. The guy who owns the bush said that the kids never got sick from eating them in 30 years. Anybody out there have any links to further info?
Mostly comprehensive and exhaustive Cornucopia II - A Source Book of Edible Plants (1998, Kampong Publications, Vista) mentions only the use of small amounts of the poisonous leaves.
The ones I've tried didn't taste very nice! Maybe I'll try some more. One thing I do remember noticing is that the stone, unlike the stones of orchard cherries, has quite a soft, thin shell. Since the kernel (like all cherry stone kernels) is toxic, the reputation for toxicity of this species more generally may be because it is easier to eat the kernel accidentally. A hard ordinary cherry stone would go through the gut and out the other end intact; these might not.
