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Download Local Edible Plants - Rumbalara
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Local Edible Plants Name Citriobatus pauciflorus Diploglottis australis Common name Orange Thorn Acmena smithii Lilly Pilly Syzygium australe Syzgium paniculatum Bush Cherry Eupomatia laurina Bolwarra Exocarpus cupressiformis Cherry Ballart Ficus coronata Sandpaper fig Native Tamarind Lilly Pilly Fruits – Trees and Shrubs Description / habitat Shrub of the sub tropical rainforest. A tall rainforest tree. Fruit is a brown hairy capsule, (1-3 lobes each) containing a large seed enclosed by an orange-yellow juicy pulp. This is very acrid but refreshing. Shrub/small tree found in temperate rainforest. Small tree found in sub tropical rainforests. Fruit is pink or red. This medium tree of the temperate rainforest is listed as rare and endangered. The magenta red berry is edible and refreshing. An erect shrub with arching arms in sub tropical rainforest. Whitish fruit are sweet and pleasant to eat. Small tree found in eucalypt forests. A hard green fruit rests on a swollen red stalk that is fleshy and edible. English writers likened them to a cherry with the stone on the outside. Small tree found on creek banks in sub tropical rainforests. Reported to have the best flavour of all the figs. Fruit Use The hard yellow fruits were eaten by Aborigines. Early settlers used them for jams and drinks. The purple fruit was eaten by Aborigines. Early settlers made jam from the fruit. Eaten by Aborigines and used for jam by early settlers. It was first sampled by Cook’s party and used by the early settlers. Aboriginies used ‘tan’ of acacia or persoonia bark then twisted the strands together in sap from Corymbia gummifera (prev. Eucalyptus gummifera). This sweet stalk was eaten by Aborigines and early settlers. The rough leaves were used by Aborigines for the final smoothing of weapons made of wood or bone. Ficus rubiginosa Jackson fig Leptomeria acida Native currant Leucopogon parviflorus Coastal beard heath Lissanthe strigosa Peach heath Mistletoes Myoporum insulare Boobialla must be fully ripe (purple-black) and looking similar to a domestic fig. Small tree found on sides of gullies. It begins life as an epiphyte in crevices of sandstone cliffs, eventually enveloping the rock with its massive coalesced root system. Katandra rainforest has a fine specimen. Leafless shrub, broom like in appearance. The fruit a succulent drupe is quite acid, but improves when cooked with sugar. A bushy shrub found on open sea coast and in hind-dune scrub. A small prickly shrub of the heath lands, the rigid leaves have needle-like points. Small white fruits 4mm across are sweet and edible. All mistletoes are edible. Having small berries, however, the gelatinous pulp is often so sticky that it is difficult to spit the seed out. Birds can be seen wiping their beaks on the branches and in doing so, often deposit seeds in a favourable position for germination on the branches. A tall shrub found on the coastline. Small white flowers are purple spotted on the petals. The bluish-purple fleshy Fruits were eaten by Aborigines and it is a favourite food for bats. Early settlers used it to make jam. Small white succulent fruits were eaten by Aborigines. Riche, a naturalist with the La Perouse expedition, ate these fruits when he was lost while looking for La Perouse who was also lost. Persoonia (all species) Geebung Planchonella australis Black apple Podocarpus spinulosis Native plum Rubus rosifolius Roseleaf bramble Rubus hillii Broad-leaf bramble Rubus parvifolius Small-leaf bramble Rubus moorei Bush lawyer fruits are edible, but salty and bitter. Shrubs and small trees in woodland areas. The yellow tubular flowers have rolled back petals. The yellow-green fruit is sweet, but has many fibres. It has been likened to eating sweet cotton wool. A tall rainforest tree. Fruits are large, black and plum-like. Unpleasant to eat raw, but can be made into a jelly. A scrambling shrub found in coastal areas. The fleshy stalk, resembles a purple-black grape, and is edible. Sharp dagger-shaped leaves are a deterrent to gathering leaves. A weak shrub with arching canes that is found in sunny gullies near rainforests forming dense thickets. Leaves are briar-like, flowers are white. The raspberry-like fruits are pleasant to eat. A scrambling shrub with long stems resembling a climber. Flowers are pink, or occasionally white. Fruits are pleasant to eat. A scrambling shrub found on rain forested slopes. Flowers are pink to red. Fruit is relatively large and juicy. A vigorous climber, flowers are white and fruits are dark red. The common name refers to its clinging habit when walking through it. A ‘bush lawyer’ was thought to be difficult to escape once The stalk can be made into jam. Aborigines made a medicinal drink to relieve upset stomachs by soaking the leaves in water. Sambucus australasica Yellow elderberry Styphelia triflora Five corners Tasmannia insipida Pepper tree Acronychia oblongifolia Acrotriche divaricata Amyema cambagei Astroloma humifusum Avicennia marina Clerodendrum tomentosum Conospermum longifolium Lemon Aspen All Mistletoes Grey Mangrove he got his hands on you. A tall shrub found in sheltered rainforests. The flowers are creamy or pale yellow and develop into yellow fleshy berries which are pleasant to eat. The common name refers to the lobes that remain on the fruit. An erect shrub that grows up to 2 metres. The flowers have pink tubes, curled lobes and yellow and the calyx is yellow-green. The sweet flesh surrounds a large stone. A tall shrub, that grows to 1-2 metres and can reach 5 metres. Found in sub tropical rainforests. Fruit is an oval berry changing from red to purple as it matures. The flesh of the fruit is edible, but the seed has a very hot flavour. Tree, rainforest Fruit Shrub, forests Fruit Epiphyte, forests Fruit Shrub, forests Fruit Tree, sandy beaches and tidal Fruit Shrub, rainforest Fruit Shrub, forests Fruit Cupaniopsis anacardioides Dendrophthoe vitellina Diospyros pentamera Diploglottis Australis Ehretia acuminata Elaeocarpus reticulatis Enchylaena tomentosus Endiandra discolour Endiandra sieberi Ficus fraseri Ficus oblique Tuckeroo Corkwood Tree, sandy beaches and tidal Fruit Epiphyte, rainforest Fruit Tree, rainforest Fruit Soft wooded perennial, rainforest Fruit Tree, rainforest Fruit Tree, rainforest Fruit Soft wooded perennial, sandy beaches and tidal Shrub, rainforest Fruit Tree, Rainforest Fruit Shiny sandpaper fig Tree Tree, rainforest Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruits – climbers and scramblers Name Billardiera scandens Common name Apple berry Cassaytha glabella Dodder, Devil’s twine Cissus antartica Water vine Cissus hypoglauca Five leaf water vine Passiflora herbertiana Yellow passiobn flower Cayratia clematidea Description / habitat A twining plant in the undergrowth. The flowers are yellow and bell shaped. The fruit is cylindrical, fleshy and yellow-green. A parasite twiner. The seed germinates in the ground. The roots only function until the stem becomes parasitic, attaching themselves to the host plant by suckers along the stem. Stems are reddish, flowers white, and the egg-shaped reddish-brown fruit is edible. A tall climber in the rainforest. The young shoots and leaf stalks have rusty coloured hairs. The fruit is a round black berry. A tall climber. It is easily identified by the five digitate leaflets. Blue-black berries grow in clusters. Reported to be edible, beware of possible throat irritation. A climber, with a 1-2 metre tall stem. Flowers are white to yellow-orange. Fruit is typical passion shape and green. Fruit can be up to 4cm long. The fruit is pleasant to eat. Vine/cimber, rainforests Use Aborigines ate the ripe fruit raw and the green fruit roasted. The fruit was eaten by Aborigines. The early settlers made jam from the fruit. The berries have been reported to cause throat irritation. Fruit Fruits and Herbs Name Carpobrotes glaucescens Common name Pigs face Marsilea mutica Nardoo Description / habitat A prostrate herb found on coastal sand dunes. Flowers are pink-purple. The fruit is red to purple and fleshy. Water fern found in fresh water ponds and lagoons. Spores are borne in sporocarps attached to the rhizome near the base of the leaf stalk. Use Fruit was eaten by Aborigines. The leaves were roasted and could have been a salt substitute. Juice from fresh leaves can be used to relieve stings from biting midges and Portuguese man-o-war. Aborigines ground the sporocarps between two stones, removing the black husks to leave a yellow starchy powder, which was made into nardoo cakes. Apparently very low in nutrients. Wills (explorer) commented in his diary, that “starvation on nardoo is by no means unpleasant, but for the weakness one feels, and the utter inability to move oneself, for as far as appetite is concerned, it gives me greatest satisfaction”. Seeds – Trees and Shrubs Name Acacia longifolia var. sophrae Avicennia marina var. australasica Common name Coastal wattle Brachychiton populneus Kurrajong Macrozamia Burrawang Grey mangrove Description / habitat Found on coastal dunes, its many branches and deep roots prevent the sand from drifting. Beware; many other acacia seeds are poisonous. A small tree of inter-tidal flats. Fruits are flattened, green velvety with one seed. A tree that grows up to 15 metres on rocky hillsides. Mature fruits become black, hard and leathery. When split, they reveal numerous seeds covered in fine irritating hairs. A palm-like slow growing ancient species. The Use Aborigines are reported to have roasted the ripening pods, and then pick out the seeds to eat. Seeds were steamed for about two hours on hot stones covered with bark and soil. Then washed and soaked before eating. The flavour is reminiscent of avocado or olives. The seeds are prepared by rubbing between two boards to remove the hairs, before being eaten raw or roasted. Aborigines prepared flour from the seeds after communis Xylomelum pyriforme Linum marginale Native flax Acacia terminalis Alectryon tomentose Amaranthus macrocarpa Brachychiton acerfolia Cryptocarya glaucescens Cryptocarya microneura Sunshine Wattle seeds are poisonous. See also leaves and shoots. A small tree in the open forest. The very hard wooden fruit opens to reveal two winged seeds which are edible. A slender open plant that grows up to 60cm. It is found in grassland and open forest. Flowers have five petals, and are blue with darker blue veins. The seed coat swells when wet as does commercial flax. Tree, forest Red Jacket Tree Seeds Soft wooded perennial, cleared grassland Seeds Tree Seeds Tree, rainforest Seeds Tree, rainforest Seeds Name Alpinia caeulea Common name Native ginger Woody pear Flame Tree a long preparation process. Seeds Seeds - Herbs Description / habitat Found near rainforests in shady areas. The erect canes bear white flowers and blue fruits. Use Aborigines ate the flesh surrounding the seeds, and the young tips of the underground stem. Seeds – Grasses and Sedges Name Gahnia aspera Common name Saw edge Description / habitat The long grass-like leaves are very sharp. Flowers are black. The seed is orange-red or red-brown Use Aborigines pounded them to make flour. The leaf buds were also eaten. when ripe. Leaves and Shoots Name Ficus species Common name Figs Description / habitat Sandpaper figs have silicified hairs on the leaves and should be avoided. A tall shrub that grows in moist eucalypt forests. Flowers are white with a pink blush on the underside of petals. Use The young shoots of most figs can be boiled as a vegetable. The young shoots and buds can be eaten raw or cooked. Hibiscus hetrophyllus Native rosella Macrozamia species Burrawang Livistonia australis Cabbage tree palm Xanthorrhoea species Grasstree Atriplex cinerea Avicennia marina Backhouse myrtifolia Cardamine sp. Centella asiatica Chenopodium carinaturm Saltbush Grey Mangrove The stems of Macrozamia contain a starch which was used as a laundry starch in the 1930s. This starch is edible, but may not have been used by the Aborigines. A tall palm that grows in rainforests and sheltered The heart or apical buds were eaten raw or eucalypt forests. baked in ashes by Aborigines. Early settlers also used it as a vegetable and made ‘cabbage tree’ hats from the fronds. Found on rocky outcrops in open forests. It has a The soft white base of the leaves can be eaten, distinctive black trunk, burnt by past bushfires. but this destroys these slow-growing ancient See also nectar plants. plants. Shrub, sandy beaches and tidal Leaf greens Tree, sandy beaches and tidal Fruit Native Cinnamon Tree Leaf greens Pennywort Soft wooded perennial, forests Soft wooded perennial, cleared grassland Leaf greens Leaf greens Soft wooded perennial, cleared grassland Leaf greeens Climbers and Scramblers Name Flagellaria indica Common name Whip vine Use Young leafy shoots can be used as a vegetable. Beach Bean Description / habitat Found in rainforests. The solid cane-like stems can reach 10m. Very distinctive by the ‘watch spring’ like tendrils at the end of leaves, which clings to other branches. A branching climber that can reach 2m. Found in moist eucalypt forests and creek banks. The slender young shoots resemble asparagus. Vine/climber, sandy beaches and tidal Geitonoplesium cymosum Scrambling lily Canavalia maritima Hardenbergia violacea Happy Wanderer Vine/climber Roots and tubers Seeds Herbs and Grasses Name Commelina cyanea Dendrobium speciosum Doryanthus excelsa Common name Scurvy weed Pragmites australis Persicaria hydropiper Common reed Suada australis Sea blite Rock orchid Gymea lily Water pepper Description / habitat A trailing herb with blue flowers. It grows in shaded forests. Found in large clumps on rocks. Use Used as a green vegetable. Early settlers used this plant to combat scurvy. Aborigines ate the fleshy stems. A giant lily. The robust stem reaches 4m and bears a head of red flowers that are rich in nectar. Tall reeds that grow in creeks and brackish water. They may grow to 3m. A weak herb found in creek beds and swampy places. Plant has small pink flowers. Aborigines are reported to have roasted the stems. Bushy hairless plants found on land-ward side of mangrove swamps, behind beaches. The Young shoots from rhizome are delicious as a green vegetable. Used by Aborigines to catch fish. Plants were pounded, then thrown into pools to stupefy fish. Stems were also roasted and then peeled before eating. The sap from this plant can be irritating to lips and eyes. The tips of the stem with leaves can be eaten raw while still crisp. They can also be used as a Tetragonia tetragonioides Warrigal cabbage or New Zealand spinach Cyanthea and Dicksonia species Tree ferns branched stems are succulent. Leaves are pale green with a flush of red or purple. Semi-erect coastal herb with broad leaves, which are thick and succulent when young. Also found in New Zealand. The young shoots can be treated as spinach. Found in rainforests and moist eucalypt gullies. The apex of the trunk contains a large amount of starch. green vegetable. Early settlers pickled the young shoots to add to pickled onions. This was one of the first foods used by Cook’s party. Captain Cook was reported to have ordered that it be served to his men twice a day, every day, perhaps to combat scurvy. The starch was used raw or baked by the Aborigines. This practice kills the plant. Roots, Tubers and Bulbs Name Dioscorea transversa Common name Native yam Eustrephus latifolius Wombat berry Glycine tabacina Love creeper Marsdenia flavescens Milk vine Burchardia umbellata Milkmaids Gastrodia Potato orchid Description / habitat Slender climber with a stem reaching several metres. Found in rainforests and moist eucalypt gullies. The fruit is a three-winged capsule that is easy to identify. This species, found only in Southern Queensland and New South Wales, is much smaller. A branching climber with prickles or tendrils. It can climb to several metres. Flowers are white with three petals. It produces a cluster of white tuberous roots which can be eaten raw. A slender vine with trifoliate leaves, and small pink flowers. It grows in forests and partly clearer areas. Tall twiner found mainly in rainforests. It has clusters of small yellow flowers. The flowering stem rises 15-35cm from 1-2 grass-like basal leaves. Flowers are borne in clusters. Leafless, is easily recognised by its straight Use Yams are a very important vegetable for Aborigines living in the warmer climates. Its pencil-like yams can be eaten raw, needing only to be washed. Easy to eat, but harder to collect being some 50cm underground. Can also be boiled like a carrot. They are crisp with a slightly earthy flavour. Its taproot was eaten by Aborigines, tasting like licorice. Hawkesbury Aborigines used the roots as food after much careful preparation. Explorers who ate this plant without the proper treatment because very ill. Aborigines ate the roots. The fleshy tubers were roasted by Aborigines. sesamoides Hypoxis hygrometrica Golden star unbranched stem and bell-shaped cream flowers (unusual in an orchid). The flowers have a cinnamon-like perfume. Flowers are yellow with three petals and three sepals giving the appearance of a six petal flower. Orchids Thysanotus Fringe lily Acianthus Pixie Caps fornicatus Alocasia Cunjevoi macrorrhizos Arthropodium minus Blechnum cartilagineum Bulbine bulbosa Caesia Pale Grass Lily parviflora Caladenia alata Cryptocarya obovoata Cryptostylis erecta Cymbidium suave Found in open forests on dry, sandy soil. Its slender leaves shoot annually, but die off at flowering time. This three petal purple flower is easily seen amongst the undergrowth. Tree, rainforest The short underground stem was eaten by Aborigines. Many terrestrial orchids have fleshy underground parts that were eaten by Aborigines. These included the following species: Caladenia, Cryptostylis, Diuris, Pterostylis, and Thelmitra. Aborigines ate the tuberous roots. Roots and tubers Soft wooden perennial, rainforest Roots and tubers Soft wooded perennial, cleared grassland Roots and tubers Fern, rainforest Roots and tubers Soft wooded perennial, cleared grassland Soft wooded perennial, cleared grassland Roots and tubers Roots and tubers Soft wooded perennial, forests Tree, rainforest Roots and tubers Roots and tubers Soft wooded perennial, forests Roots and tubers Epiphyte, rainforest Roots and tubers Davallia pyxidata Dichopogon fimbriatus Dipodium variegatum Diuris alba Eleocharis sphacelata Geranium homeanum Geranium solanderi Haemododorum corymbosum Haemodorum Blood Root planifolium Imperata cylindrica Isolepis nodosa Nodding Cluebrush Epiphyte, rainforest Roots and tubers Soft wooded perennial, forests Roots and tubers Soft wooded perennial, forests Roots and tubers Soft wooded perennial, cleared grassland Soft wooded perennial, wetlands Roots and tubers Roots and tubers Soft wooded perennial, cleared grassland Roots and tubers Soft wooded perennial, forests Roots and tubers Soft wooded perennial, heath lands Roots and tubers Soft wooded perennial, forests Roots and tubers Soft wooded perennial, cleared grassland Roots and tubers Soft wooded perennial, wetlands Roots and tubers Name Banksia aemula Banksia integrifolia Banksia serrata Breynia oblongifolia Eucalyptus gimmifera Glossodia Common name Heath Banksia Description / habitat Shrub, heathlands Flowers Coast Banksia Tree, sandy beaches and tidal Flowers Old Man Banksia Breynia Tree, forests Shrub, forests Flowers Flowers Tree, forests Flowers Soft wooded perennial, rainforests Flowers Flowers Use major Grevillea arenaria Shrub, forests Flowers Grasses and Sedges Name Lepironia articulata Common name Name Blechum indicum Common name Bungwall fern Description / habitat A sedge forming dense stands in thick mud, in fresh water lakes. It has rigid cylindrical grey-green stems that grow up to 2-3 metres. The cone-like flowering branch has a pointed stem. Use Aborigines ate the underground stem. Ferns Description / habitat Use Found in swampy areas. Fronds reach more than a The underground stems were an important metre. The underground stems contain starch in vegetable for Aborigines. They were dried in large quantities. the sun, roasted, and then bruised with a stone. Nectar In most flowers, nectar is only available to those types of insects, birds, and mammals that are adapted to collecting it. There are a few species that produce nectar in large quantities, and can be available to man. Most may be sucked out or washed out with water to make a drink. Banksia, Doryanthus, Hakea, Lambertia, Lomatia, Melaleuca, Melichrus, and Telopea. Gums Acacias are a prolific producer of gum. The gum may be sucked or soaked in water for a few hours, and the resulting jelly can be eaten. Mana and Lerps in Eucalyptus Some insects feeding on eucalyptus leaves and twigs produce such considerable quantities of exudate (sugary substance) that the tree appears to be raining. The irregular, whitish sugary deposits left on the leaf by evaporation is generally called mana. With some species of insects the sugary solution together with a starch-like material is used by the larva to form a cap-lerps. These products formed an important part of the Aboriginal diet for limited periods. Various species of eucalypts are good producers of mana and lerp. Aborigines collected the fallen flakes from the ground (can be found in large quantities) or scraped the material off the leaves. They are also reported to have pounded heavily covered leaves and baked them. Best producers of mana and lerps are: E. viminalis and E. punctata. Salt Salt is not a food, but a desirable addition to food. River Mangrove (Aegiceras corniculatum) is found in coastal rivers and takes up salt though its roots, then excretes it through glands and the upper surface of the leaves. The solution evaporates, leaving deposits of salt crystals. These deposits are readily seen and can be used to identify this mangrove. Prepared by Audrey Taggart, Australian Plants Society, Central Coast Group. References used: Wild Food in Australia, A.B. & J.W. Cribb Native Plants of the Sydney District, Alan Fairley and Phillip Moore Field Guide of Native Plants of Sydney, Les Robinson
