Tree Foods

Here in Queensland, we have an amazing wild edible called Blue Quandong, or Elaeocarpus angustifolius.  It's a traditional food source for indigenous peoples in this part of Australia, but it's unusual textured pit was also used to produce decorative beads.

The brilliant colour of the fruit is quite remarkable, I can think of few wild foods that are so colourful.  Especially being blue, it is not often you see blue fruit in the wild!


"Elaeocarpus angustifolius Nightcap National Park-April 1997" by Poyt448 Peter Woodard - Own work. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

The trees themselves are classified as a rainforest tree, and they possess impressive buttress roots.

Bunya Nuts

Another traditional food in this region are the Bunya nuts.  They were associated with large inter-tribal gatherings and feasts, as the Bunya Pine drops massive pine cones the size of a basketball in great quantities at certain times of the year, which could easily feed large groups.  The cones themselves are extremely heavy, and therefore a serious danger to those standing beneath the tree.  For this reason, city councils often cut the cones form the trees before they can mature and drop on someones head!