Download Common Bushfoods of the Hunter 2009-11

HIP Species Lists
Common Bushfoods of the Hunter Valley
Acacia longifolia (Sydney Golden Wattle)
A common hardy wattle, growing 3-4m tall, with golden yellow
cylindrical flowers.
Uses: Aborigines roasted the pods to eat the seeds which are rich in
nutrients. The flowers are edible, having a subtle sweet flavour which
can be added to cakes.
Acmena smithii (Lilly Pilly)
A well known attractive small tree with fragrant white flowers and
mauve berries.
Uses: The fruit is fleshy and sweet but is sometimes tart/ sour. The
fruit is also made into a jam.
Alpinia caerulea (Native Ginger)
A fringe rainforest clumping plant with blue berries.
Uses: The blue fruits are edible? but have a slightly acid taste. The
young tips taste like ginger.
Baeckea virgata (Heath Myrtle)
A shrub of sheltered places with numerous small white flowers.
Uses: The leaves are boiled to make a sweet tea.
Billardiera scandens (Apple Berry)
A slender twiner/ climber with pale yellow tubular flowers.
Uses: The cylindrical fruits when soft and ripe have a sweet, edible
pulp.
Carpobrotus glaucescens (Pigface)
A succulent groundcover found on coastal sand dunes. The leaves are
thick and fleshy, and the flowers are bright pink.
Uses: The juice from the leaves can be used to soothe insect bites.
Cissus hypoglauca (Native Grape)
A woody vine growing in or near rainforest. Leaves are arranged in 5’s
in a palm shape.
Uses: The purple-black fruits are grape-like and edible.
Dianella caerulea (Blue Flax Lily)
An attractive clumping plant with blue flowers and blue berries.
Uses: The ripe fruits are edible.
Doryanthes excelsa (Gymea Lily)
A beautiful large tufted plant. The flowers grow on a stem which can be
several metres high. The flowers are bright red and in large round
clusters.
Uses: The long flower stems were roasted and eaten by Aborigines.
—
Jennifer Wightman & Lachlan Anderson à ABN 22 556 374 123
36 Weakleys Drive Beresfield NSW 2322 à Ph/Fax: (02) 4966 0457 à Mobile: 0422 959 221
Email: [email protected]
HIP Species Lists
Eustrephus latifolius (Wombat Berry)
A common tough twiner/ climber found near creeklines.
Uses: The orange fruits can be eaten but are tasteless. The
underground tubers can also be eaten raw.
Ficus coronata (Sandpaper Fig)
A small tree growing along creeklines and near rainforest. The leaves
are rough and sandpapery.
Uses: Aborigines used the leaves to smooth timber for tools, bowls
and other useful items. The fruits are edible.
Gahnia spp. (Saw Sedges)
Large clumping sedges growing mainly along creeklines or next to
wetlands. The leaves have very sharp edges which can cut fingers.
Uses: Aborigines would pound the shiny red-black seeds to produce a
flour.
Hardenbergia violacea (False Sarsparilla)
A twiner/ climber found in woodland and forest. The plant has attractive
purple pea flowers.
Uses: The leaves can be boiled to make a sweet tea.
Hibiscus heterophylla (Native Rosella, Native Hibiscus)
A small tree with prickly stems and branches found along creeklines.
The large flowers are white with maroon-pink centres.
Uses: The young shoots and flower buds can be eaten.
Leucopogan spp. (Bearded Heaths)
Small shrubs found mainly on sandy heath areas. The flowers are
usually small, white and have dense hairs in the flower tube. The ripe
fruits range in colour, depending on species, from white to red.
Uses: The small fruits can be eaten and taste sweet.
Lomandra longifolia (Mat-rush)
A common hardy clumping plant with bright green leaves.
Uses: The leaf bases can be chewed.
Melaleuca spp. (Paperbarks)
Trees growing near swampy ground. The bark is white and papery.
Uses: The flowers can be soaked in water to release nectar and
produce a sweet drink.
Planchonella australis (Black Apple)
A rainforest tree with large black plum-like fruits.
Uses: The fruits are edible and can also be made into a jam.
Rubus spp. (Native Raspberries)
Scrambling vines with small thorns on their stems.
Uses: The fruits are edible. The fruits can also be made into jams.
—
Jennifer Wightman & Lachlan Anderson à ABN 22 556 374 123
36 Weakleys Drive Beresfield NSW 2322 à Ph/Fax: (02) 4966 0457 à Mobile: 0422 959 221
Email: [email protected]
HIP Species Lists
Scaevola calendulacea (Dune Fan Flower)
A groundcover forming thick mats on coastal sand dunes. The flowers
and fruits are purple.
Uses: The fruits can be eaten when ripe but are slightly salty.
Syzygium paniculatum (Magenta Lilly Pilly)
An attractive rainforest tree with large pink berries.
Uses: The fruit is fleshy and sweet but is sometimes tart/ sour. The
fruit is also made into a jam.
Tasmannia insipida (Pepper Bush)
A small rainforest shrub with distinctive red stems.
Uses: The leaves and seeds have a hot peppery taste and can be
used as spices.
Tetragonia tetragonoides (Warrigal Greens, New Zealand Spinach)
A small groundcover with soft fleshy leaves found near the sea or
coastal lakes.
Uses: The leaves can be cooked and eaten like spinach.
The ‘commercial’ bush foods
Currently the bush food industry is valued at about 15 million dollars
per year. The industry is based on a very small number of species. The
following table by Paul Melehan (2004) provides a summery of the
main species being used presently.
Common/ Trade Name
Botanical Name
Origin
Bush tomato
Davidson’s plum
Lemon aspen
Lemon myrtle
Macadamia
Mountain pepper
Muntries/muntharies
Warrigal greens
Wattle seed
Riberries
Quandong
Solanum centrale
Davidsonia pruiens
Acronychia sp.
Backhousia citrodora
Macadamia tetraphylla
Tasmannia sp.
Kunzea pomiferra
Tetragonia tetragonoides
Acacia sp.
Szyzgium leumanii
Santalum sp.
Central Aust.
Rainforest (N. NSW, Qld.)
Rainforest (N. NSW, Qld.)
Rainforest (N. NSW, Qld.)
Rainforest (N. NSW, Qld.)
Rainforest
SA coast
Coast
Central Aust.
Rainforest (N. NSW, Qld.)
Central Aust.
Useful References:
Cribb, A.B. & J.W. (1987) Wild Food in Australia; Collins, Sydney
Melehan, Paul (1998) Wild Foods of the Lower Hunter Valley, New
South Wales; Reprinted by Hunter Region Landcare Network 2004
—
Jennifer Wightman & Lachlan Anderson à ABN 22 556 374 123
36 Weakleys Drive Beresfield NSW 2322 à Ph/Fax: (02) 4966 0457 à Mobile: 0422 959 221
Email: [email protected]