ASSOCIATION OF SOCIETIES FOR GROWING AUSTRALIAN PLANTS AUSTRALIAN FOOD PLANTS STUDY GROUP ISSN 0811 5362 NEWSLETTER- - -- - - --- NUMBER 23. FEBRUARY 1995 323 Philp Ave., Frenchville. Qld. 4701. 28/2/95. Dear Members, Well here we are at the end of February, and the Wet is still playing hide and seek somewhere to the north of us! X few promising storms to green up the grass, and that's been it to date. Xow that's browning off too, so we're hoping for a cyclone offshore, even if it's a bit late in the season for one. There seems to have been rain to spare do~risouth, and some up north, while Ke sit in our little rain shadow in the centre. It follo~sthat most of our activities have tended to be low key, and heavy on the planning side rather ti-ian the doir~g one. The basic organizing for the September 1996 Queensland SGAP Conf eren-ce--is wel-1- underway, with the Rockhampton Grammar School booked as the venue, prospective speakers contacted, notification circulated and a short list of possible escursion sites decided upon. We are planning to visit these places during hugust/Septen~ber/October this year before we make our final selection. The post conference tour will be a 3 dak- camping trip to Blackdown Tableland. Groundwork continues on the new Yurri (Aboriginal) useful complex at Lakes Creek State School. Eric An&erson- and I have been editing and proof reading the material for the inforn~ationcards in the school library and the plant name plates. The Nurries of the Rockhampton area sere the Daran~baltribe (a number of alternative spellings are possible), within which xere about 21 clans named according to the particuIar territory occupied by that group. For example, the Wara-bura lived south of the river round Gracemere %here the Wara or wild guava grew, and the Bikal- bura on th,e river flats where the trees harbouring the Bikal grubs were found. I'll include a list of the proposed plantings later in this letter. Further to my comments relating to Peter Hardwick's claim that Hibiscus heterophj~llusis toxic, we have an article based-on an interview by Rodney Barker which sheds some light on the matter. However, I would like to add that I have never previously heard of anyone making a tea from the leaves of this plant. The commercially availabl e Hibiscus herbal teas are rnade from the flc~wers,and this is what I would try if I were experimenting. As the Rosella, of jam and tart fame, is also the calyx of the immature seed of another Hibiscus, and Okra the green seed pod of t.he related Abelmoscl?us, it seems to me that common sense dictates that it is with the flower and associated parts that. c)ne wc)l.lld begin. As well, available information indicates that the ec1j.ble parts are young shoots and huds, and flowers, SC) perhaps xe are at cross purposes here. Over to you! I have received notification of the 1995 Wildflo~erFestival to be held at Rouse Hill c~n12/13 Aug~ist,wljicl? contains an invitation for the group to mount a display. As anythi~lgwe did would require someone in attendance, it doesn't seem to me to be a practical proposition. However, 1 'in open t.c) suggestj-on if anyone frcim the ar-ea would like to volunteer to do/co-ordinat.e somethi r~g. There is a cc)nference and ~orkshopon the development of the Herbs and Essential Oils industries scheduled for 19-21 April at Paterson, near Xencastle, hosted by the X. S. LC. Departriient c)f Agricillture. -4 special feature Cin Irlie fi.eld tour da\r is "A forage th!-ough the _iustralian ?Cilcl Herb Industry" - a discussion and tasting with \;ic Chei-ikof f . Dick Di.etsch turned me green %-it11envy by sending brochures and press clippings ~hilehe was overseas, including infc>rmation on Hadrian's Kall, edible wild fungi of the U.K. : and other delights. The Brit.s have used "wi1.d" foods for SO long that people forget that's \+hat the&- are! Also in the mail was the December 1994 catalogue of the Florilegium specialist book store. New ~iiernber John McCart.k~~hgs sent rnqterj.al from Australian Native Produce Industries Pty Ltcl (P.O.Rox 163, Parinya. S .A. 53401, incl.uding a descriptive native food p1ant.s nursery -catalogue wliicl-I lists species under headings whiEh include Estimated Yleld and Gross Return, a list of Red Ochre gourmet products avail-able from retail outlets, and a menu from the Red Ochre Grill Cafe Restaurant with some really int.erest.ing listings. And finally, a beaut iful image to share : my Backhousia citriodora in a froth of creamy blossom surrounded by a dancii~gcloud of Blue Tiger butterflies last Xovember. (I didn't have exclusive rights though, as all over town the Blue Wanderers or Blue Tigers, Danaida melissa hamata, fluttered round f lowerii~gBach-l~ousia', Acacia hidwillii , Parso~lsiasp. and iVarsdei~iasp. and probably other plants as well. Later they were joined by other variet-ies of butterflies and insects, and then by insect eating birds, but for a while there it was pure enchantment.) Since anything else would smack of anti-cli~nax, I'll say my farewells. Regards, 6 / Lenore Lindsay and Rockharnptc)n S .G. A. P. NEW >1E3lBIZRS. Welconie to the f ollo~ingnew members : Sue ARNOLD: 9 Keirs Lane, Euroka. X.S.W. 2440. Georgina BALDOCK: 11 Lawson Rd . , Happy Valley. S .A. 5159. Colleen KEEKA: 222 Kangaroo Gully Rd., Bellhc~~rie.Q. 4070. Library, Grovely TAFE Centre: 72 Fitzsinimons St. , Grovely. Qd 405-2. John YcCARTHY: 183 15th St., Renrnark. S.A. 5341. (Dr) Elwyn HEGARTY: 5 Jenkinson St. : Indooroopi.lly. Q. 3068. EDIBLE SPECIMENS TABLED AT YEETIXGS: 24/11/94 : Backhousla citriodora , Raeckea \:irgata, Gei tonoplesiu~~ic~~rnosum, Leptosper~nu~n flnvescens, L. petersc)nii, Scaevo1.a sp., Syzygiurn luehrnannii, S. rubrimolle (fruit , and a selection of flowers of Eucalyptus, Grevillea and Flelal euca s1:)ecies. 27/1/95: Acacia salicina, Canthiu~nattenuatum, Capparis canescens (fruit.), C. lasiantha (flower) , Coelospei-rnuri~ reticulatum, Cyperus gracilis , W5:oporum ellipticurn, Plectranthus graveolens , Pipt-uris argen teus , Pit-tosporu~n venulosum, Viola hederacea, assorted flowers of Callistemc~ns, Grevilleas and Melaleucas , Orthosip11c)n aristartulr~ (medicinal! . 24/2/95: Acacia c)'shanesii, Dianella sp., Geitonoplesium cyrnosum, Lon~andralc>~~gifol id, Sr~iila.\;australis, Teti-ast ignia nitens, Viola hecleracea, a variety of Callistemon, Eucalypt and Grevillea bloon~s,and Xlpllitonia excelsa and Orthosiphon aristartus (medicinal) . EXCURSIONS: 6/11/94: Keppel Sands: Acacia aulacocarpa, Acronychia imperforata, Alectryon connat.us, Arytera divaricata(?), Avicennia marina, Bruguiera exaristata, Canthium coprosmoides, Carissa ovata , Clerode~~drumf loribundum, C. inerme, Cc)elospern~urnreticulatua, Cupaniopsis anacardioides, Diospyros gemina tat Dodonaea viscosa ssp. burmanniana, Drypeyes australasica, Euroscllinus falcata, Exocarpus latifolius, Ficus sp. F. opposita, Hibiscus tiliaceus, Lantana caniara*, Lysiphyllum hoolieri, Myoporum acuminatum, Pleiogynium timorense, Pouteria sericea, Rhizophora stylosa, Sterculia quadrifida, Vitex acuminata, Livistona decipiens, Pandanus sp., Eustrephus latifolius, Ipornea pes-caprae, Malaisia scandens, Melodorurn leichhardtii, Passiflora suberosa*, Smilax sp., Opuntia stricta*, Sesuvium portulacastrum, Suaeda australis, Dianella caerulea, Gahnia aspera.. 4/12/94: Sydney Gully: washed out by the only rain in 8 months ! 5/2/95: Kooyalee: Acacia aulacocarpa, A. salicina, Coelospermum reticulaturn, Cupaniopsis anacardioides, Diospyros geminata, Drypetes australasica, Euroschinus falcata, Ficus opposita, Ficus sp-, Lantana camara*, Melaleuca leucadendra, Planchonia careya, Livistona decipiens, Eustrephus latifolius, Passiflora suberosa*, Commelina cyanea, Emilia sonchifolia*, Glycine tabacina, ~rewialatifolia, Myoporurn debile, Rhagodia sp.,Cyperus gracilis, C. rotundis, Dianella caerulea, Lomandra longifolia, Then~eda triandra, Panicum decomposi turn. - . - Quandon~ Vol19 No 3 Third Quarter 1993 are safe to eat. They havea mica1pentagonal flower, like apotato, with yellow stamens and WA Bush Foods meeting a great success a spiky calyx. Sofanlun nigrwn has the Stalking the wild WAAsparagus: Native Plant Foods of WA was the topic structure of a tomato inside, with black seeds at our 19 May 1993 meeting, presented by Peter Bindon, Head of the Only the white parts inside can be eaten; the pulp and black seeds must be squeezed out In Anthropology Department at the WA Museum. (WANATCA). southern Russia it used to be processed into Peter opened his talk by saying that this is eat the fruit, which is really a thickened stem steroids and hormones. 'Ihe fust estrogen an interminable topic, and there are hundreds and has a rainy grape flavour. Its timber is pills were made from it The dried hit of of plants that the Aborigines used for food. consideredgood. Podocarprcsdrouynianusis Solanwn cenlrale is called "bush raisins". For the purpose of this talk he mainly chose a waist-high bush with piny foliage used by neycan be left on the bush to dry, collected plants that grow in SW Australia, plus a few florists. It prefers to grow in the Jarrah fores~ and pounded int0.a paste and reionstituted~ other interesting ones. There is one in Kings Park. with water. The Aborigines shaped the paste Canfhium laifolium, the "Native Planchonia careya, called "wild into large balls, impaled them on a branch of Currant Bush", has great quantities of small quince", or "cocky applc". has large, a tree and left them in storage formonths. The black fruit which are beaten off the bush with attractive flowers with long white and pink flavour is good and vaguely curry-like. a stick and gathered from the ground. Eating stamens, resembling the crest of a Major Thysanoluspatersonii,"fringed lily". a large quantity of them might make your Mitchell cockatoo.