A list of all the Australian plants I know of that are bush food just because:
[Image ID: Two large green, very round, pinecones against a white background. Shown in the foreground are some small very spiny-looking green twigs, the ‘leaves’ of a pine cone which are brown and green, and five pale pine nuts. End ID]
Bunya Pine cones. A lot like your American or European pine cones except they’re as big as your head. The nuts taste a bit like chestnuts, can be ground into paste to make bread, boiled, roasted, fermented, eaten raw etc. and have a bit of heft to them so like. Good food. They grow naturally in South East QLD and can be seen in some old gardens and parks.
The species itself is the only surviving member of an extinct prehistoric genus and traditionally the Wakka Wakka people (the custodians of the Bunya Mountains, named for obvious reasons) would host massive festivals with the ripening of the pine cones and people would come from miles around.
[Image ID: A close up picture of Macadamia nuts in their shells, which are warm brown and almost perfectly round. One is split open to show the white nut inside. End ID]
Macadamias are pretty well commercialised, to the point I grew up not even really realising they were a native plant. But my siblings and I have spent whole weekends picking macadamias from a tree in my aunt’s yard and cracking them open on the footpath to eat like possums so.
[Image ID: A close up photo of a large bundle of bright pink grape-sized fruits amongst light green, glossy leaves. End ID]
There’s a few varieties of lilly pilly but as far as I know they’re all safe to eat and the ones I’ve had are super tasty. They’re a shrubby kind of tree and are a staple of private gardens and parks alike in Southern QLD and, I can only guess, but probably the Southern states as well. They have a few little seeds inside them and are very attractive to native birds too.
Though I’ve confused them for cheese trees before (which taste like tomatoes, not my favourite) the ones I’ve had have a kind of sweet gingery taste.
[Image ID: A close up picture of small pinkish fruits clumped on twigs with dark green, glossy leaves. The fruits are much like a flat pumpkin in shape and texture. End ID]
Only seen one of these before, lived in the yard of one of my aunties. Tastes like tomatoes so I only had one. Also a shrubby kind of tree, large seeds.
[Image ID: A picture of two elongated limes against a black cloth. One fruit has been split open and the pale green inside is spilling out. The inside is of a texture much like fish eggs, tapioca pearls etc. End ID]
Comes in a few different varieties and colours. The bush itself is kinda like a domestic lime tree but with smaller leaves and many, many spines. Tastes uhh…like limes. Obviously.
It’s common for gardening enthusiasts to have a few plants so you can buy these relatively easily (which is how I got them).
[Image ID: A slightly grainy close up picture of round pink berries growing along a plant with long, narrow green leaves. End ID]
My most recent bush food ‘discovery’. I found it growing in my backyard and thought that it was obviously gonna be some introduced english weed or something and was delighted when one of my local museums had a planter box full of it with an information plaque and everything.
Anyway, there is a weed very similar in appearance I’m not game enough to try. But the berry itself, probably not much bigger than your standard garden pea. It’s got a tart kind of taste, I’d liken it a little to passionfruit, and has a very large seed. So like. It hasn’t got a lot of nutritional value but I eat it just because.
I’ve had no luck trying to reproduce it via seed (the internet says it has a funky inhibitor chemical in it? idk why) but it reproduces from cuttings beautifully, just like a succulent.
Anyway, there’s a couple more I know of that I haven’t added yet because this is way too long already but uh. Here :)