Bush Tucker
Australian native plants are increasingly being used in foods, either for their flavour, or as a major component. Jam, chutney, salad dressing, and various herbs and spices using Australian native species can even be found in major supermarket chains. Australian plants that are edible, and that are sometimes available at our sales, are listed below.
WARNING: Extreme care should be exercised to ensure correct identification before consuming plants found in the wild. Some bush tucker plants are very similar to other plants that may contain poisonous compounds. The wrong choice could cause illness if consumed. Even correctly identified, some bush tucker may contain substances that, while harmless to most people, can cause an allergic reaction to a minority, or have an unpleasant taste to some. In some cases, the bush tucker needs appropriate preparation before use.
There are several books on the market that give information on the preparation of bush tucker, as well as recipes and ideas on how to use Australian native plants in cooking.
Genus or species name |
Common name |
Edible portion |
Acacia aneura |
Mulga |
Seeds |
Acacia farnesiana |
Sweet Acacia, Scented Wattle |
Seed-pods |
Acacia longifolia var. sophorae |
Coastal Wattle |
Seeds |
Acacia pycnantha |
Golden Wattle |
Seeds |
Acacia murrayana |
Murray's Wattle |
Seeds |
Acacia victoriae |
Elegant Wattle |
Seeds |
Acacia stenophylla |
River Cooba |
Seeds |
Acmena smithii |
Lilly Pilly |
Fruit |
Acrotriche depressa |
|
Fruit |
Alpinia caerulea |
Native Ginger |
Roots, fruit |
Alyogyne huegelii |
Native Hibiscus |
Foliage, roots |
Apium prostratum |
Sea Celery |
Foliage |
Araucaria bidwillii |
Bunya Pine |
Seeds |
Archirhodomyrtus beckleri |
Rose Myrtle |
Fruit |
Arthropodium strictum |
Chocolate Lily |
Roots |
Astrebla pectinata |
Barley Mitchell Grass |
Seeds |
Astroloma humifusum |
Cranberry Heath |
Fruit |
Atriplex cinerea |
Coast Saltbush |
Foliage |
Austromyrtus 'Copper Tops' |
|
Fruit |
Austromyrtus dulcis |
Midgen Berry |
Fruit |
Austromyrtus tenuifolia |
|
Fruit |
Billardiera cymosa |
Sweet Apple Berry |
Fruit |
Billardiera scandens |
Common Apple Berry |
Fruit |
Billardiera versicolor |
Sweet Appleberry |
Fruit |
Brachychiton acerifolium |
Flame Tree |
Seed |
Brachychiton bidwillii |
|
Seed |
Brachychiton discolor |
White Kurrajong, Lacebark |
Seed |
Brachychiton diversifolius |
Northern Kurrajong |
Seed |
Brachychiton gregorii |
Desert Kurrajong; Ngalta |
Seed |
Brachychiton populneus |
Kurrajong |
Seed, roots |
Brachychiton rupestris |
Bottle Tree |
Seed, shoots, roots |
Bulbine bulbosa |
Bulbine Lily, Wild Onion |
Bulbs |
Burchardia umbellata |
Milkmaids |
Roots |
Calandrinia polyandra |
Parakeelya; Munyeroo |
Foliage |
Canavalia rosea |
Mackenzie Bean |
Seeds, seed-pods |
Capparis loranthifolia |
Narrow-leaved Bumble Tree |
Fruit |
Capparis mitchellii |
Wild Orange |
Fruit |
Capparis spinosa var. nummularia |
Wild Passionfruit |
Fruit, young buds |
Carpobrotus glaucescens |
Coastal Noonflower |
Fruit |
Carpobrotus modestus |
Inland Pigface |
Foliage, fruit |
Carpobrotus rossii |
Ross's Noonflower, Karkalla |
Foliage, fruit |
Carpobrotus virescens |
Coastal Pigface |
Foliage, fruit |
Cissus antarctica |
Native Grape, Kangaroo Vine |
Fruit |
Citriobatus spinescens |
Native Orange |
Fruit |
Commelina cyanea |
Scurvy Weed, Wandering Jew |
Foliage |
Crinum flaccidum |
Darling Lily |
Bulb |
Davidsonia pruriens |
Davidson's Plum |
Fruit |
Diploglottis cunninghamii |
Native Tamarind |
Fruit |
Doryanthes excelsa |
Giant Lily, Gymea Lily |
Roots, flower-stem |
Elaeocarpus reticulatus |
Blueberry Ash |
Fruit |
Enchylaena tomentosa |
Ruby Saltbush |
Foliage, fruit |
Eremocitrus glauca |
Desert Lime |
Fruit |
Eremophila debilis |
Amulla |
Fruit |
Eupomatia laurina |
Copper Laurel; Native Guava |
Fruit |
Eustrephus latifolius |
Wombat Berry, Orange Vine |
Tubers |
Exocarpos cupressiformis |
Native Cherry |
Fruit |
Ficus benjamina |
Weeping Fig |
Fruit, young shoots |
Ficus macrophylla |
Moreton Bay Fig |
Fruit, young shoots |
Ficus rubiginosa |
Port Jackson Fig |
Fruit, young shoots |
Hibiscus diversifolius |
Swamp Hibiscus |
Foliage, flowers |
Hibiscus heterophyllus |
Native Rosella |
Foliage |
Kunzea pomifera |
Muntries |
Fruit |
Lavatera plebeia |
Australian Hollyhock |
Roots |
Leucopogon parviflorus |
Coast Beard-heath |
Fruit |
Linum marginale |
Native Flax |
Seeds |
Lomandra longifolia |
Spiny-headed Mat-rush |
Foliage |
Marsilea drummondii |
Common Nardoo |
Seeds |
Marsilea mutica |
Banded Nardoo |
Seeds |
Melastoma affine |
Native Lasiandra |
Fruit |
Microseris lanceolata |
Yam Daisy |
Roots |
Myoporum insulare |
Coastal Boobialla |
Fruit |
Nitraria billardierei |
Nitrebush |
Fruit |
Phragmites australis |
Common Reed |
Foliage |
Pleiogynium timorense |
Burdekin Plum |
Fruit |
Podocarpus drouynianus |
Emu Berry |
Fruit |
Podocarpus elatus |
Brown Pine, Plum Pine |
Fruit |
Podolepis jaceoides |
Showy Copper-wire Daisy |
Roots |
Rhagodia parabolica |
Fragrant Saltbush |
Foliage |
Santalum acuminatum |
Quandong |
Fruit |
Santalum lanceolatum |
Plum Bush, Sandalwood |
Fruit |
Sarcozona praecox |
Inland Pigface |
Fruit |
Solanum aviculare |
Kangaroo Apple |
Fruit |
Solanum laciniatum |
Kangaroo Apple |
Fruit |
Syzygium australe |
Creek Lilly Pilly |
Fruit |
Syzygium luehmannii |
Cherry alder |
Fruit |
Syzygium oleosum |
|
Fruit |
Tetragonia implexicoma |
Bower Spinach |
Foliage |
Tetragonia tetragonioides |
Botany Bay Spinach |
Foliage |
Thysanotus patersonii |
Twining Fringe-Lily |
Tubers |