The edible Salty Ice Plant, Mesembryanthemum crystallinum, flowering in Beltana in Spring.
Salty Ice Plant flowering
Salty Ice Plant
The edible Salty Ice Plant, Mesembryanthemum crystallinum, has distinct glistening glands seen here on the banks of a flooded creek bed near Marree.
Samphire
Acacia Victoriae seeding
Acacia victoriae is prolific in the Flinders Ranges, seeding profusely following summer. The seeds can be ground into an edible flour.
Bush Banana flower
Marsdenia australis, also known as the bush banana, native pear or Mayaka, is a climber producing edible fruit. Flowering in the Flinders Ranges in December.
Quandong flowers
Quandong (Santalum acuminatum) in flower in December in the Northern Flinders Ranges. Quandongs produce edible fruit between August and October.
Native Spinach
Tetragonia, an edible groundcover also known as Warragul Greens and New Zealand Spinach seen commonly throughout the Flinders Ranges during the cooler months.
Lerps on Eucalyptus
Psyllids are sap sucking insects which excrete a sugary starch to form lerps – white shelter casings. Lerps are a sweet bush food that can be occasionally found around Eucalypts in the Flinders Ranges.
Continue reading “Lerps on Eucalyptus”Ruby Saltbush
Enchylaena tomentosa, commonly known as Ruby Saltbush produces a colourful array of sweet edible fruits.
Native Plum
Santalum lanceolatum is known variously as Sandalwood, Native Plum, Bush Plum, Plumbush. As with the related Quandong, it is semi-parasitic in that it will connect its roots to other trees. Seen commonly in the Flinders Ranges in clay and sandy plains and watercourses.
The dark fruit is a bland but palatable bush food, similar looking to the inedible fruit of Eremophila longifolia. Species feeding on the berries include the Singing Honeyeater.
