Triglochin COMMON NAME Water Ribbons, Swamp arrowgrass, creek lily. TRADITIONAL USE Aborigines would roast the bland starchy tubers, pound them into a paste and feed to teething babies and the elderly. The raw or roaster tubers were also eaten by adults, and were probably an important staple food throughout much of Australia (Low, 1991). PART … Read More
Tetragonia tetragonioides COMMON NAME Warrigal greens, Botany Bay greens, native spinach, New Zealand spinach. TRADITIONAL USE Lieutenant James Cook used Warrigal Greens as a source of vitamin C for his crew on the Endeavour during his voyage to New Zealand and Australia and it was also harvested and eaten by those who arrived from England … Read More
Apium prostratum COMMON NAME Sea Parsley, Sea Celery TRADITIONAL USE Captain Cook made use of this plant to prevent scurvy when “The Endeavour” visited the east coast of Australia in 1770 and it was subsequently used by early settlers as a source of greens. PART USED Leaves SEASONALITY All year round. FLAVOUR PROFILE Sea Parsley … Read More
Suaeda australis COMMON NAME Sea blite TRADITIONAL USE Sea Blite is a salty, sea vegetable with high levels of iodine.Settlers used the leaves as a vegetable and pickle (Low, 1991) PART USED Leaves SEASONALITY All year round. FLAVOUR PROFILE Salty. USES Sea Blite will impart a pleasant, salty flavour to a dish and in small … Read More
Sarcocornia quinqueflora COMMON NAME Bearded or Beaded Glasswort, Chicken claws (Salicornia australis). TRADITIONAL USE Early settlers used it in salads and as a pickle to ward off scurvy and starvation (Low, 1991) PART USED Young shoots at the tip of the plant. Samphire is high in Vitamin A and is a good source of calcium … Read More
Enchylaena tomentosa COMMON NAME Ruby Saltbush, Ruby Red Saltbush, Barrier Saltbush TRADITIONAL USE PART USED Berries and leaves. SEASONALITY All year round. FLAVOUR PROFILE Ruby Saltbush is a quaint succulent bearing small berries with a crisp, salty-sweet flavour. USES Berries may be eaten raw or soaked in water to make a sweet tea. The leaves … Read More
Schoenoplectus COMMON NAME There are two varieties: River or Lake Club Rush (S. validus) and Club Rush (S. litoralis). Other name; Scirpus. TRADITIONAL USE Aborigines ate the club rushes after roasting and hammering the underground stems (Low, 1991). PART USED Underground stems.
Syzygium luehmannii COMMON NAME Riberry, small Leaved Lilly Pilly, Cherry Satinash, Cherry Alder, or Clove Lilli Pilli. TRADITIONAL USE There are historic references from New South Wales and Queensland about riberry being regularly eaten raw as a snack by Aboriginal communities, and suggestions the pulp was also applied to sore ears. PART USED The Riberry is a … Read More
Santalum acuminatum COMMON NAME Desert peach, native peach or wild peach. TRADITIONAL USE Quandong has a wide natural distribution throughout southern Australia from arid desert areas to coastal regions. It was an important native food source for Indigenous Australians across semi-arid and arid regions in the mainland states, with surplus fruit collected and dried for … Read More
Carpobrotus rossii COMMON NAME Pigface, Karkalla TRADITIONAL USE Aboriginal people eat the fruit traditionally, fresh and dried. The salty leaves were also reported to have been eaten with meat. You can apply the juice to sandfly bites or make a poultice of crushed leaves to apply to burns and scalds. Extracts of the plant have … Read More
