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2026-07-24

Australian native foods

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Contents
5.1 Dried Australian herbs
5.2 Pasture grass, tropical grasses
5.5 Scientific names of Australian native foods
5.6 Scientific names of plants

5.5 Scientific names of Australian native foods
Introduction
The term "Australian native foods" refers to Australian native plants known to be used by Australian aboriginal people for food.
Similarly, the term "bushfood", "bush foods", "bush tucker foods" refers to Australian native plants that Australians use or were known to use for food.
However, "bushfood" may refer to plants supplied by plant nurseries and labelled "bushfood", without evidence that they were Australian native foods.
Also, and they may be hybrids subject to plant breeders' rights (PBR).
The Queensland Herbarium does not use the term "bush foods" in any publications and there is no agreed list of "bush foods".
However, in the list below, the common name preferred by the Austrlian National Herbarium or the Queensland Government is usually used.
Botanists avoid using the term "bush foods", because it refers to all of the indigenous foods for Australian indigenous peoples, including the protein component.
Botanists may prefer to use the term "Australian native foods" to differentiate between the foods the Aboriginal people used and the foods we daily use,
because we use their foods in a different way, and we use less of those foods available to them.
The term "Australian native foods", excludes any food that need processing to remove toxin, because their methods have been lost
The term "bushfoods" includes foods that need processing, and can be toxic.
See: Australian native foods Common names of plants, A to Z.
See: Australian native plants
See: Australian native foods

Australian native foods commercial suppliers

Scientific names of Australian native foods
The species below may not have been studied to determine the level of possible toxicity and the method of preparation or cooking needed to ensure no harm.

Aniseed myrtle, (Syzygium anisatum), Myrtaceae
African violet, (Streptocarpus ionanthus), Gesneriaceae

Apple dumplings , (Billardiera scandens), Pittosporaceae

Apricot satinash, (Syzygium fibrosum), Myrtaceae

Atherton oak, (Athertonia diversifolia), Proteaceae

Atherton raspberry, (Rubus probus), Rosaceae

Australian cashew nut, (Semecarpus australiensis), Anacardiaceae

Australian nutmeg, (Myristica insipida), Myristacaceae

Atherton raspberry, (Rubus probus), Rosaceae
Australian raspberry, (Rubus parvifolius), Rosaceae

Australian sandalwood, (Santalum spicatum), Santalaceae

Baobab tree, (Adansonia gregorii), Malvaceae

Beach bird's-eye, (Alectryon coriaceus), Sapindaceae

Bernie's tamarind, (Diploglottis berniana), Sapindaceae

Billy buttons, (Pycnosorus globosus), Asteraceae

Bitter quandong, (Santalum murrayanum), Santalaceae

Black apple, (Pouteria australis), Sapotaceae

Black bean, (Castanospermum australe), Fabaceae

Black plum, (Diospyros australis), Ebenaceae

Bloodroot, (Haemodorum spicatum), Haemodoraceae

Blue flax-lily, (Dianella brevipedunculata), Aspodelaceae

Blue gum, (Eucalyptus globulus var. globulus), Myrtaceae

Blue lilly pilly, (Syzygium oleosum), Myrtaceae

Blue quandong, (Elaeocarpus grandis), Elaeocarpaceae

Blue tongue, (Melastoma affine), Melastomataceae

Blue-leaved mallee, (Eucalyptus polybractea), Myrtaceae

Bolwarra, (Eupomatia laurina), Eupomatiaceae

Boobialla, (Myoporum insulare), Scrophulariaceae

Boonjee tamarind, (Diploglottis bracteata), Sapindaceae

Brahmi, (Bacopa monnieri), Plantaginaceae

Bramble wattle, (Acacia victoriae), Fabaceae

Broad-leaved lilli pilly, (Syzygium hemilamprum), Myrtaceae

Broad-leaved paperbark, (Melaleuca viridiflora), Myrtaceae

Broad-leaved peppermint, (Eucalyptus dives), Myrtaceae

Brush pepperberry, (Tasmannia insipida), Winteraceae

Bulbine lily, (Bulbine bulbosa), Asphodelaceae

Bunya nut, (Araucaria bidwillii), Araucariaceae

Burdekin plum, (Pleiogynium timorense), Anacardiaceae

Bush banana, (Marsdenia australis), Apocynaceae

Bush mint, (Mentha satureioides), Lamiaceae.

Bush nutmeg, (Horsfieldia australiana), Myristaceae

Bush onion, (Cyperus bulbosus), Cyperaceae

Bushy bluebell, (Wahlenbergia multicaulis), Campanulaceae

Cape gooseberry, (Physalis peruviana), Solanaceae

Cape York tamarind, (Diploglottis macrantha), Sapindaceae

Cape York turmeric, (Curcuma australasica), Zingiberaceae

Carallia, (Carallia brachiata), Rhizophoraceae

Cedar Bay cherry, (Eugenia reinwardtiana), Myrtaceae

Chinese water chestnut, (Eleocharis dulcis), Cyperaceae

Chocolate lily, (Arthropodium strictum), Liliaceae

Cinnamon myrtle, (Backhousia myrtifolia), Myrtaceae

Coastal saltbush, (Atriplex cinerea), Amaranthaceae

Coastal wattle, (Acacia sophorae), Fabaceae

Curara, (Acacia tetragonophylla), Fabaceae

Currantbush, (Carissa ovata), Apocynaceae

Conkerberry, (Carissa lanceolata), Apocynaceae

Currantwood, (Antidesma bunius), Phyllanthaceae

Curry leaf myrtle, (Backhousia angustifolia), Myrtaceae

Corduroy tamarind tree, (Mischarytera lautereriana), Sapindaceae

Cherry satinash, (Syzygium luehmanii), Myrtaceae

Coolamon lilly pilly, (Syzygium mooreii), Myrtaceae

Cut-leaf mintbush, (Prostanthera incisa, Lamiaceae

Davidson’s plum, (Davidsonia pruriens var. pruriens), Cunoniaceae

Davidson's plum, (Davidsonia pruriens var.jerseyana), Cunoniaceae

Desert raisin, (Solanum centrale), Solanaceae

Dodder laurel, (Cassytha filiformis), Lauraceae

Dryander tamarind, (Diploglottis obovate), Sapindaceae

Dusky coral pea, (Kennedia rubicunda)

Emu apple, (Owenia acidula), Meliaceae

Emu foot grass, (Cullen tenax), Fabaceae

False sandalwood, (Eremophila mitchelli), Scrophulariaceae

Flinders Island celery, (Apium insulare), Apiaceae

Fraser Island "apple", (Acronychia imperforata), Rutaceae

Finger lime, (Citrus australasica), Rutaceae

Giant speargrass, (Heteropogon triticeus), Poaceae

Golden wattle, (Acacia pycnantha), Fabaceae

Green plum , (Buchanania obovata), Anarcardiaceae

Grey mangrove, (Avicennia marina), white mangrove, Verbenaceae

Gumbi gumbi, (Pittosporum angustifolium), Pittosporaceae.

Hard quandong, (Elaeocarpus obovatus), Elaeocarpaceae

Heath banksia , (Banksia ericifolia), Proteaceae

Jam wattle , (Acacia acuminata), Fabaceae

Jelly bush, (Leptospermum polygalifolium), Myrtaceae

Johnstone River almond, (Elaeocarpus bancroftii), Elaeocarpaceae

Johnstone River satinash, (Syzygium erythrocalyx), Myrtaceae

Kakadu plum, (Terminalia ferdinandiana), Combretaceae

Kankong, (Ipomoea aquatica), Convolvulaceae

Kangaroo apple, (Solanum aviculare), (S. laciniatum), Solanaceae

Kapok bush, (Cochlospermum fraseri), Bixaceae

Karkalla, (Carpobrotus virescens), Aizoaceae

Large pigweed, (Portulaca intraterranea), Portulacaceae

Lawyer vine, (Smilax australis), Smilacaceae

Leek lily, (Bulbine semibarbata), Asphodelaceae

Lemon tea tree, (Leptospermum liversidgei), Myrtaceae

Lemon myrtle, (Backhousia citriodora), Myrtaceae

Lemon-scented ironbark, (Eucalyptus staigeriana),Myrtaceae

Lilly pilly, (Syzygium smithii), Myrtaceae

Little gooseberry tree , (Buchanania arborescens), Anacardiaceae

Macadamia nut, (Macadamia integrifolia), Proteaceae.

Magenta lilly pilly, (Syzygium paniculatum), Myrtaceae

Mangrove, (Avicennia officinalis), Verbenaceae

Midgen berry, (Austromyrtus dulcis), Myrtaceae

Mikania vine, (Mikania micrantha), Asteraceae

Milkmaids , (Burchardia umbellata), Colchicaceae

Millaa millaa vine, (Elaeagnus triflora), Elaeagnaceae

Molucca bramble,, (Rubus moluccanus), Rosaceae

Mountain pepper, (Tasmannia lanceolata), Winteraceae

Mulga wattle, (Acacia aneura), Fabaceae

Muntries, (Kunzea pomifera), Myrtaceae

Murnong, (Microseris lanceolata), Asteraceae

"Musk mallow", (Abelmoschus moschatus subsp. 'moschatus'), Malvaceae

Native apricot, (Pittosporum angustifolium), Pittosporaceae
Native Oregano, Native Bush Mint, (Prostanthera rotundifolia)

Native bush mint, (Prostanthera rotundiflora), Lamiaceae

Native cranberry, (Astroloma humifusum), Epacridaceae

Native currant, (Acrotriche depressa), Ericaceae

Native finger lime, (Citrus australasica), Rutaceae.

Native gardenia, (Atractocarpus fitzalanii), Rubiaceae.

Native ginger, (Alpinia caerulea), Zingiberaceae.

Native gooseberry, (Physalis minima), Solanaceae

Native grape, (Ampelocissus acetosa), Vitaceae

Native hibiscus, (Hibiscus heterophyllus), Malvaceae

Native lily, (Alocasia brisbanensis), Araceae

Native lychee, (Dimocarpus australianus), Sapindaceae

Native millet, (Panicum decompositum), Poaceae

Native mint, (Mentha diemenica), Lamiaceae

Native mulberry, (Pipturus argenteus), Urticaceae.

Native pepper vine, (Piper hederaceum), Piperaceae

Native pigface, (Carpobrotus rossii), Aizoaceae

Native potato, (Ipomoea costata), Convolvulaceae

Native raspberry, (Rubus rosifolius), Rosaceae

Native rosella, (Abelmoschus moschatus), Malvaceae

Native sarsaparilla, (Hardenbergia violacea), Fabaceae

Native tamarind, (Diploglottis australis), Sapindaceae

Native thyme, (Ozothammus obcordatus)

Native tobacco, (Nicotiana sauveolens), Solanaceae

Native violet, (Viola banksia), Violaceae.

Native violet, (Viola hederacea), Violaceae.

Native wampee, (Murraya crenulata)

New Zealand tea tree, (Leptospermum scoparium), Myrtaceae

Nitre bush, (Nitraria billardierei), Nitrariaceae

Nodding saltbush, (Einadia nutans), Chenopodiaceae

Noni, (Morinda citrifolia), Rubiaceae

Northern kurrajong , (Brachychiton diversifolius), Sterculiaceae

Orange berry, (Glycosmis trifoliata), Rutaceae

Oval leaf mint bush, (Prostanthera ovalifolia), Lamiaceae

Peanut tree, (Sterculia quadrifida), Malvaceae

Pencil yam, (Vigna lanceolata), Fabaceae

Pigface, (Carpobrotus glaucescens), Aizoaceae

Pink satinash, (Syzygium malaccense), Myrtaceae

Plum pine, (Podocarpus elatus), Podocarpaceae.

Potato bush, (Solanum ellipticum), Solanaceae

Prickly currant bush, (Coprosma quadrifida)

Purple apple-berry , (Billardiera longiflora), Pittosporaceae

Purslane, (Portulaca oleracea), Portulacaceae

Queensland blue flax-lily, (Dianella atraxis), Aspodelaceae

Red bopple nut, (Hicksbeachia pinnatifolia), Proteaceae

Red maids, (Calandrinia balonensis), Portulacaceae

Red-flowered kurrajong , (Brachychiton megaphyllus), Sterculiaceae

River mint, (Mentha australis), Lamiaceae

Rock lily, (Bulbine glauca), Asphodelaceae

Rose myrtle, (Archirhodomyrtus beckleri), Myrtaceae

Rough-shell Queensland nut, (Macadamia tetraphylla), Proteaceae

Ruby saltbush, (Enchylaena tomentosa), Amaranthaceae

Running postman, (Kennedia prostrata), Fabaceae

Saltbush, (Atriplex nummularia), Amaranthaceae

Samphire, (Salicornia quinqueflora)

Sandpaper fig, (Ficus coronata), Moraceae

Sandplain wattle, (Acacia murrayana), Fabaceae

Sawsedge, (Gahnia aspera), Cyperaceae

Scrambling lily, (Geitonoplesium cymosum), Asphodelaceae

Screwpine, (Pandanus odifer), Pandanaceae

Scrub nettle, (Urtica incisa), Urticaceae

Scurvy weed, (Commelina cyanea), Commelinaceae

Sea celery, (Apium prostatum), Apiaceae

Sea purslane, (Sesuvium sportulacastrum), Azoiaceae

Seaberry salt-bush, (Rhagodia candolleana), Amaranthaceae

Seablite, (Suaeda australis), Amaranthaceae

Silky myrtle, (Decaspermum humile), Myrtaceae

Silky wattle, (Acacia holosericea), Fabaceae

Small-leaved tamarind, (Diploglottis campbellii), Sapindaceae.

Smith's tamarind, (Diploglottis smithii), Sapindaceae

Smooth Davidson's plum, (Davidsonia johnsonii), Cunoniaceae

Sneezeweed, (Centipeda cunninghamii), Asteraceae

Spear-leaved dioscorea (Dioscorea hastifolia), Dioscoreaceae

Spiny-head mat-rush, (Lomandra longifolia)

Strawberry gum, (Eucalyptus olida), Myrtaceae

Swamp wattle, (Acacia retinodes), Fabaceae

Sweet apple-berry , (Billardiera cymosa), Pittosporaceae

Sweet sarsaparilla, (Smilax glyciphylla), Smilacaceae

Sweet white kunzea, (Kunzea ambigua)

Tanjong tree, (Mimusops elengi), Sapotaceae

Tasman flax-lily, (Dianella tasmanica), Aspodelaceae

Tasmanian snow berry, (Gaultheria hispida), Ericaceae.

Tea tree, (Leptospermum petersonii)

Tropical banksia , (Banksia dentata), Proteaceae

Vanilla lily, (Arthropodium milleflorum), Liliaceae

Walking stick palm, (Linospadix monostachya), Arecaceae

Warrigal greens, (Tetragonia tetragonioides), Aizoaceae.

Warrilyn, (Eucalyptus pachyphylla), Myrtaceae

Water lily, (Nymphaea macrosperma), Nymphaeaceae

Wattleseed, (Acacia aneura, A. pycnantha, A. retinodes, A. longifolia, A. victoriae), Fabaceae

Weeping paperbark, (Melaleuca leucadendra), Myrtaceae

White aspen (Acronychia oblongifolia), Rutaceae

White correa, (Correa alba), Rutaceae

White elderberry, (Sambucus gaudichaudiana), Adoxaceae

Wild currant, (Antidesma erostre), Phyllanthaceae

Wild orange, (Capparis mitchellii), Capparaceae

Wild parsnip, (Trachymene incisa), Araliaceae

Wild passionfruit, (Capparis spinosa subsp nummularia), Capparaceae

Winter apple, (Eremophila deblis), Scrophulariaceae

Wirewood, (Acacia coriacea), desert oakFabaceae

Witchetty bush, (Acacia kempeana), Fabaceae

Wombat berry, (Eustrephus latifolius), Asparagaceae

Yellow plum, (Ximenia americana), Olacaceae

Yellow tulipwood, (Drypetes deplanchei), Euphorbiaceae

Youlk, (Platysace deflexa), Apiaceae

Zamia fern, (Bowenia spectabilis), Stangeriaceae

Zig zag vine, (Melodorum leichhardtii), Annonaceae

5.1 Dried Australian herbs
Dried Wattleseed Powder
Dried Strawberry Gum Leaf Powder
Dried Old Man Saltbush leaf
Dried Lemon Myrtle Leaf
Dried Cinnamon Myrtle Leaf
Dried Anise Myrtle Leaf

Native plants
Callitris spp. (Native Cypress pines)
Aboriginal people on the Murray River made a combined canoe pole and fish spear nearly 4 m long from the wood of the Murray Pine.
Callitris preissii, called by them Maroong.
The resin was also a cement for fastening barbs to spears.
Casuarina and Allocasuarina spp.
(She-oaks)
The hard wood of she-oak was much used for making boomerangs, shields and clubs.
In Wyrie Swamp, South Australia, archaeologists found a boomerang 10,000 years old, made from she-oak wood.
Young shoots were chewed to allay thirst, and young cones were also eaten.
Citriobatus pauciflorus (OrangeThorn)
The edible fruits are round and yellow, 1-3cm across, with a leathery skin and large seeds.
Dianella spp. (Flax Lilies)
The fibre in the leaf is very strong.
A leaf, split and twisted into a cord, has been found in an Aboriginal burial in central Victoria.
This and other Flax-lilies were used for baskets in Tasmania.
The berries are blue-purple, and may be poisonous.
There is no evidence that they were eaten by Aboriginal people.
Dicksonia antarctica (Smooth Tree-fern)
The top of the trunk was split open to extract the soft starchy pith.
The Tasmanians preferred the Rough Tree-fern, Cyathea australis, because it tasted better than the Smooth Tree-fern.
The Smooth Tree-fern is the one which is usually grown in home gardens.
Dendrobium speciosum (Rock or King Orchid)
The swollen stems were beaten to break up the fibre and then cooked on hot stones.
Dodonaea viscosa (Hop-bush)
In Queensland the juice of the root was applied for toothache and cuts; the chewed leaf and juice was put on stonefish and stingray stings and bound up for 4-5 days.
Doryanthes excelsa (Gymea Lily)
The flowering stems grow up to 4 m high, but were cut when young, about 0.5 m long and thicker than a man's arm, and roasted.
The roots were also roasted and made into a sort of cake.
The name 'GYMEA' comes from the Wodi Wodi tribe of the Illawarra district near Sydney.
Enchylaena tomentosa (Ruby Saltbush)
The tiny red flattened fruits were shaken off the bush and eaten.
They have a small black stone inside, which was also eaten.
Eucalyptus viminalis (Manna Gum)
Where holes have been made by insects in the young branches, sap flows out and dries into hard sugary drops which fall to the ground, hence the name 'manna'.
Aboriginal people and early settlers were very fond of it.
Other gum-trees may also produce manna for example Eucalyptus mannifera, of which there are numerous specimens in the Gardens.
Both these gum trees are native to the Canberra district.
In common with other eucalypts, the wood was used for implements such as shields, and wooden bowls known in Victoria as 'tarnuks'.
Eustrephus latifolius (Wombat Berry)
The roots of this climber are edible, and it is highly likely that they were eaten by Aboriginal people.
The fruits do not seem to have been eaten.
Exocarpos cupressiformis (Cherry Ballart, Native Cherry)
The fruits of the Native Cherries have a succulent base with a hard seed on top.
There are several species, but this one is the most common.
The wood was used for spearthrowers and for bull-roarers (a musical instrument)
, and the sap was applied to snakebites.
The native cherries are hard to cultivate, because they are parasitic on the roots of other trees.
The Aboriginal name 'BALLART' comes from western and central Victoria.
Hedycarya angustifolia (Austral Mulberry)
The most important use of this mountain shrub was as straight sticks for fire-drills, which were twirled between the hands while resting on another flat piece of wood, often the dry flowering stalk of the grass-tree.
Within two minutes fire could be produced.
The sticks were so highly prized that they were traded from tribe to tribe, from the mountains to the Murray River.
The fruits resemble a yellow mulberry, but are not edible.
Indigofera australis (Austral Indigo)
One of the many different plants that were crushed and put into pools to kill or stun fish so that they could be easily caught.
Among other plants used in different parts of Australia were the leaves and bark of several wattles and gum-trees, and the Wild Indigo, Tephrosia purpurea.
Lambertia formosa (Mountain Devil)
The copious nectar of this plant sometimes flows down the twigs.
The flowers were sucked.
Although there is one report of nausea and headache after consuming a large amount, the nectar appears to contain no toxic substance.
Livistona australis (Cabbage Palm)
The heart of the palm was eaten in the north of Australia, but although it can be found as far south as eastern Victoria, early observers say it was not eaten there before European settlement.
Lomandra longifolia (Spiny-headed Mat-rush)
The long smooth leaves were used to make baskets and mats.
By beating and soaking the leaves, fibre was separated to make string for net-bags.
The flowers provided nectar.
This plant is still used at Lake Tyers, Victoria, to make traditional baskets, and at Lake Condah to make eel-traps.
Macrozamia spp. (Burrawangs)
The seeds of these and other cycads are borne in a large cone and have an orange outer coat.
They are poisonous, but the Aboriginal people knew how to treat them to remove the poison, and so take advantage of the large amount of food provided by a single plant.
One of the ways was to cook the seed, break it up, and then soak it for up to three weeks in running water.
In Western Australia, only the outer red part was eaten, after treatment by washing and burying.
Marsilea drummondii (Nardoo)
An unusual fern, which grows in shallow seasonal waters.
When the water dried up, the hard spore-cases were collected.
They were broken up on grindstones, and the spores were separated from the outer cases.
The spores swell when moistened, and were made into damper.
Although used in drier areas such as Cooper's Creek, Nardoo is said to have been largely a standby food when other things were in short supply.
The explorers Burke and Wills found that a diet of Nardoo alone was not enough to sustain life.
Microseris lanceolata (Murnong or Yam-daisy)
This small perennial plant was the favourite food of the Aboriginal people of central and western Victoria, and was also eaten in South Australia and New South Wales.
It has a radish-shaped tuber, which is renewed each year.
In the spring the plant forms a yellow flower-head like a dandelion, and in the summer the leaves die off and the tuber becomes dormant.
The tubers were cooked in baskets in an earth oven, producing a dark sweet juice which was much liked.
Once a common plant, Murnong became scarce due to grazing by sheep.
Nothofagus moorei (Antarctic Beech)
An orange fungus, Cyttaria septentrionalis about the size of a golf-ball may grow on this tree, and was eaten raw.
Other species of Nothofagus in Tasmania and Victoria bear a related fungus, which was also eaten.
Persoonia pinifolia (Geebung)
Inside the sweet pulp, the edible fruit has a very hard stone, which was discarded.
Other persoonias were also eaten.
The New South Wales Aboriginal name 'GEEBUNG' has been given to all Persoonia species.
Pragmites australis (Common Reed)
The tall bamboo-like stems were highly prized for spears, and were also cut into short lengths to make necklaces, or to stick through the septum of the nose as an ornament.
The leaves were used to make bags and baskets.
Podocarpus elatus (Brown Pine)
The seed is borne on a purple-black fleshy stalk, which was eaten.
It is sweet but mucilaginous.
Rhagodia spinescens (Thorny Saltbush)
The Aranda tribe in central Australia used the fruits to make a red paint for the face.
Rubus hillii (Native Raspberry)
There are several native raspberries, all of which were eaten.
This one is found in rainforest.
The Mountain Raspberry, Rubus gunnianus, is found only on Tasmanian mountains, while the Small-leaf Bramble, Rubus parvifolius, is widespread in drier forests.
Solanum laciniatum (Kangaroo Apple)
One of the Kangaroo Apples of eastern Australia, the egg-shaped orange fruits were eaten only when they were ripe enough to fall from the bush.
In Tasmania, they were picked earlier, and buried in sand-heaps to ripen.
They can be poisonous if eaten unripe.
The fruits contain hard small stones as well as seeds.
In central Australia, many other Solanum species are important foods, and are known as bush tomatoes'.
Sollya heterophylla (Bluebell Creeper)
The dark bluish fruits were eaten in Western Australia.
Tasmannia insipida (Pepper Tree)
The flesh of the purple-black fruit is edible, but the few black seeds are very peppery.
Typha spp. (Cumbungi or Bulrushes)
A multi-purpose plant, the 'staff of life' along the Murray-Darling river system and in south-western Australia.
The underground horizontal 'roots' (rhizomes) were steamed in an earth oven, the outer layer was stripped off, and the starchy fibrous inner part was tied in a simple knot.
This was then chewed to remove the starch, which tastes like potato.
The remaining fibre was dried, soaked, scraped with mussel shells, and then rolled on the thigh to give very strong string for making large nets which were used to catch ducks and fish.
Finer string was made from the leaves.
The young shoots which appear in early summer were eaten raw.
'CUMBUNGI' is a name from the middle Murray River area.
Xanthorrhoea spp. (Grass Trees)
The bases of the leaves are sweet and nutty, and the heart of the stem was also eaten.
Nectar was collected from the tall spike of flowers with a sponge made of stringybark.
The dry flower-stems of smaller species were used for spears, and those of this larger species were used to make fire, as well as containing large edible grubs at the base of the plant globules of a hard waterproof resin were collected, which served as a cement to fasten barbs in spears or stone axes to handles.
The tough leaves were used as knives to cut meat.
This is one of the native plants which flowers in response to fire.