Aboriginal Plant Use
By Erin Mooney
Introduction
Here are five different types of fungi that Aborigines eat, or use for medicinal purposes:
The Choiromyces aboriginum
Located: Dry areas of Southern Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
Family Name: Tuberaceae family.
Appearance: Spherical shape, with mostly brown surface and white inside.
Use: This type of fungi is a traditional native food, also used as a source of water.
Unique Features: Truffle-like, grows to seven centimetres in diametre.
The Cyttaria gunnii
Located: Tasmania and Southern Victoria.
Family Name: Cyttariaceae family.
Appearance: Circular, up to 2.5 centimetres in diametre and is orange-white coloured.
Use: This type of fungi is apparently very delicious, with a sweet juice inside.
Unique Features: This particular fungus grows on a specific type of tree called the Nothofagus tree.
The Laccocephalum mylittae
Located: Western Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and the Northern Territory.
Family Name: Polyporaceae family.
Appearance: This mould is tough on the outside, with a creamish or black inside.
Use: This type of fungi, apparently tastes a lot like boiled rice, even though it is cooked or roasted.
Unique Features: The Aborigines often found the fungus by sticking a stick into the ground as they walked along, and then smelling it after, to determine if it smelt anything like the Laccocephalum mylittae.
The Podaxis pistillaris
Located: Northern Territory, Western Australia, South Australia and New South Wales.
Family Name: Agaricaceae family.
Appearance: This type of fungus can get up to 15 centimetres high, because of its thick stem, with a white cracked surface.
Use: This type of fungus is used to darken white hair, to do body art and to act as a fly repellent.
Unique Features: This fungus is distinctively related to the puff balls.
The Pycnoporus sp.
Located: Northern Territory, New South Wales and South Australia.
Family Name: Polyporaceae family.
Appearance: This type of fungi is a very fluorescent bright orange colour, with a hard coral-like surface.
Use: This type of fungus is used like a lip-balm, for sore lips, just use the juice from the inside of the mould and rub on lips.
Unique Features: Two antibiotic compounds have been found in this type of mould.
Introduction
The Acacia melanoxylon
Located: New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria.
Family Name: Fabaceae family.
Appearance: The tip of this particular plant has yellow puffs and a grey stem.
Use: This type of plant is used to make a spears and shields.
Unique Features: This plant is found all over Australia.
The Banksia spp.
Located: All over Australia.
Family Name: Proteaceae family.
Appearance: This type of plant is brown and spiked all over.
Use: Banksias are used to extract nectar and water to drink or use.
Unique Features: Some Aborigines use this plant for drinking supplies.
The Citriobatus pauciflorus
Located: New South Wales and Queensland.
Family Name: Pittosporaceae family.
Appearance: This plant is a shrub, but the fruit are round and yellow, usually about 1-3 cm across.
Use: This particular plant is just an edible fruit.
Unique Features: This fruit has leathery skin for its surface.
The Marsilea drummondii
Located: New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia.
Family Name: Marsileaceae family.
Appearance: This plant looks like a four-leaf clover, but bigger.
Use: This plant is grinder and then put into damper.
Unique Features: This kind of damper was made a lot when food was in short supply.
The Nothofagus moorei
Located: New South Wales and Queensland.
Family Name: Nothofagaceae family.
Appearance: This plant is about the size of a golf ball, little spikes that grow on a large tree.
Use: This plant is peeled and then eaten.
Unique Features: This plant is also an orange mould.
References
Websites:
http://www.anbg.gov.au/fungi/aboriginal.html
http://www.westgatepark.org/fungi-2/fungi/
http://www.cpbr.gov.au/fungi/mycogeography-australia.html
http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/potd/2012/10/cyttaria-gunnii.php
http://fungimap.org.au/index.php/fduonline-home/105/294/polypores/P-laccocephalum-mylittae
http://bie.ala.org.au/species/f6f8f5cc-4822-47d5-b8ce-4c20367f66b4
http://www.mycokey.com/MycoKeySolidState/species/Phellorinia_herculeana.html
http://www.cpbr.gov.au/fungi/images-captions/pycnoporus-sp-0115.html
http://www.anbg.gov.au/gardens/visiting/exploring/aboriginal-trail/index.html
https://www.anbg.gov.au/gnp/interns-2004/marsilea-drummondii.html
Pictures from Creative Commons:
Choiromyces aboriginum -
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Maeandertrueffel.jpg
Cyttaria gunnii -
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/Cyttaria_gunnii.jpg
Laccocephalum mylittae -
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Tuckahoe.jpg
Podaxis pistillaris -
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/Mushroom_in_Wadi_Rum_02.jpg
Pycnoporus sp. -
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Fungi_bracket_reduced.jpg
Acacia melanoxylon -
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Acacia_melanoxylon_(Flowers).jpg
Banksia spp. -
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Banksia_victoriae_-_Woolly_Orange_Banksia-6.JPG
Marsilea drummondii -
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/Marsilea_drummondii_cropped.jpg
Nothofagus moorei -
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Nothofagus_obliqua_Shoot_LeavesCupules.jpg