| Plant type | Botanical Name | Common Name | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trees over 6m: | Acacia mearnsii | Black Wattle | Gum is used as a chewing gum that dissolves as you chew. |
| Acacia melanoxylon | Blackwood | Seeds are edible and flowers can be cooked and eaten. | |
| Acacia pycnantha | Golden Wattle | Roasted seeds and gum can be eaten. Bark used as a sedative for rheumatism. | |
| Allocasuarina littoralis | Black Sheoak | The gum can be chewed or made into a jelly by melting in hot water. | |
| Eucalyptus viminalis | Manna Gum | Sugary sap can be eaten, and flowers soaked in water make a sweet drink. | |
| Large shrubs: | Prostanthera lasianthos | Victorian Christmas-bush | Aromatic leaves can be used to make tea or flavour food. |
| Small-medium shrubs: | Coprosma quadrifida | Prickly Currant-bush | Berries are sweet and high in Vitamin C. |
| Einadia nutans subsp. nutans | Nodding Saltbush | Red berries are sweet to eat. Leaves can also be eaten but should be boiled first. | |
| Prostanthera melissifolia | Balm Mint-bush | Aromatic leaves can be used to make tea or flavour food. | |
| Solanum aviculare | Kangaroo Apple | Has berries which are poisonous while green, but edible once orange. | |
| Climbers: | Clematis aristata | Austral Clematis | Taproot can be roasted and eaten. |
| Clematis microphylla | Small-leaved Clematis | Taproot can be roasted and eaten. | |
| Rubus parvifolius | Small-leaf Bramble | Has edible small fruit somewhat like raspberries but not as sweet. | |
| Ground covers, low plants: | Billardiera mutabilis | Common Apple Berry | Fruit can be eaten raw when ripe or roasted when green. |
| Centella cordifolia | Swamp Pennywort | Used as a medicinal herb for arthritis and rheumatism. | |
| Geranium solanderi var. solanderi | Austral Crane’s Bill | Woody tap root rich in starch can be cooked and eaten. | |
| Kennedia prostrata | Running Postman | Nectar is sweet like honeysuckle, stems can be used for twine. | |
| Mentha australis | River Mint | Leaves can be used to make tea, and also to treat coughs and colds. | |
| Microseris walteri | Yam Daisy | Tuber can be roasted or fried. | |
| Viola hederacea | Native Violet | Flowers can be added fresh to salads. | |
| Wahlenbergia multicaulis | Tadgell’s Bluebell | Flowers can be used in salads. | |
| Wahlenbergia stricta | Tall Bluebell | Flowers can be used in salads. | |
| Lilies: | Arthropodium milleflorum | Pale Vanilla Lily | Tubers can be eaten raw or cooked. Flowers can be eaten raw. |
| Arthropodium strictum | Chocolate Lily | Tubers can be eaten raw or cooked. | |
| Bulbine bulbosa | Bulbine Lily | Tubers can be roasted and eaten, they are sweet tasting and contain calcium and iron. | |
| Burchardia umbellata | Milkmaids | Tubers can be roasted and eaten. | |
| Dianella longifolia var. longifolia | Pale Flax-lily | Dark blue or purple berries edible. | |
| Dianella revoluta var. revoluta | Black-anther Flax-lily | Dark blue or purple berries edible. | |
| Dianella tasmanica | Tasman Flax-lily | Dark blue or purple berries edible. | |
| Grasses: | Themeda triandra | Kangaroo Grass | Seeds can be ground to produce flour. |
| Rushes: | Lomandra longifolia | Spiny-headed Mat-rush | White leaf bases can be chewed to release starch. |
For further information on bush tucker plants:
Download the “Indigenous Plant Use Guide” booklet by the Clean Air and Urban Landscapes Hub at the University of Melbourne – authored by Barkandji woman Zena Cumpston. It explores the cultural, nutritional, technological and medicinal use of indigenous plants.