Australian native plant Muntries (Kunzea pomifera) with berries

Edible native plants

Sydney Wildflower Nursery offers a wide selection of native Australian bush foods suited to the Sydney climate. Native edible plants include berries, grass seeds, plant roots, seeds, leaves and flowers. When eating bush foods, care must be taken to identify the plant correctly to ensure the plant is edible and to factor in any preparation required.

Native bush foods are the perfect option for people wanting a low maintenance edible garden. We provide plants that are well adapted to the Sydney climate and pack a punch in terms of goodness and flavour.

While Australian bush foods have been part of the indigenous diet for generations, many are now only just finding their way into the spotlight and onto the table. Below is a selection of native bush foods on offer at Sydney Wildflower Nursery.

Workshops + Designs

Narelle Happ from A Garden For Life is our resident edible native plant specialist and offers workshops and design services to residential, corporate and educational institutions interested in establishing edible native gardens.

Edible Australian native plants workshop

Join our native food expert Narelle Happ online for two exciting hours of exploring edible Australian plants. Narelle will teach you how to identify, grow, harvest and cook with native bush food species. No garden? No problems! Many of our local bush foods can be successfully grown in containers and Narelle will show you how in this educational and enlightening workshop.

Workshop enquiries

*For all plant and stock enquiries, please use our contact form.

Plant list

The information in the table below has been generously provided by Narelle from A Garden For Life. Please take care to identify plants correctly before consumption. If you would like further information in regards to native edible plants, please contact Narelle or attend one of our workshops on edible native plants. 

Botanic nameCommon nameUse
Acacia longifoliaSydney golden wattleGreen seeds can be eaten once roasted.
Acacia sophoraeCoastal wattleRipe seeds can be roasted and ground into a flour for baking.
Acmena smithiiCreek lilly pillyFruit can be eaten fresh or made into jam.
Alpinia caeruleaGingerSmall blue berries are edible. Young roots can be harvested and used as a ginger substitute.
Apium prostrataSea celeryLeaves and stems can be used in cooking and as a herbal tea.
Araucaria bidwilliBunya nutLarge fruits up to 10kg fall from the tree when ripe. Put a hole in the casing before roasting otherwise they can explode.
Archirhodomyrtus becklariRose myrtleBerries ripen from green to red and can be eaten fresh when ripe.
Arthropodium milleflorumVanilla lillySmall fleshy roots can be eaten raw or roasted.
Arthropodium strictumChocolate lillySmall fleshy roots can be eaten raw or roasted. Flowers have a chocolate fragrance.
Atriplex cinereaGrey salt bushSalty grey leaves can be dried and ground and used to flavour savoury dishes.
Atriplex nummalariaOld man salt bushSalty grey leaves can be dried and ground and used to flavour savoury dishes.
Austroloma humifusumNative cranberryRed flowers followed by green fruit. Fruit can be eaten raw and nectar can be sucked from the flowers.
Austromyrtus dulcisMidyim berryEdible berries, can be eaten raw
Backhousia anistataAniseed myrtleFresh or dried leaves can be used to make tea or aniseed flavouring.
Backhousia citriodoraLemon myrtleFresh or dried leaves can be used to make tea or lemon flavouring for baking and cooking.
Backhousia myrtifoliaCinnamon myrtleFresh or dried leaves can be used to make tea or cinnamon flavouring for baking and cooking.
Banksia spp.BanksiasNectar can be soaked to make a cordial or eaten fresh from flowers.
Billardiera scandensApple berryRipe purple fruits, unusually sweet and can be eaten fresh.
Bulbine bulbosaNative leekRoots can be eaten fresh or roasted.
Brachychiton populenusKurrajongSeeds can be roasted.
Callistemon spp.BottlebrushNectar can be soaked to make a cordial or eaten fresh from flowers.
Carpobrutus glaucescensPigfaceLeaves can be cooked and used like green beans, fruit appears after flowering and can be eaten raw with a taste similar to salty strawberry.
Cissus antarcticaKangaroo vineGrape like berries can be eaten raw.
Citrus austrlasicaFinger limeSmall finger sized fruit can be eaten fresh. Has a citrus flavour.
Cupaniopsis spp.TuckarooOrange edible fruit.
Davidsonia pruriensDavidsons plumSour fruit is edible when ripens to purple.
Dianella caeruleaBlue flax lilyPurple fruit best eaten fresh when just ripe.
Diplogottis campbeliiTamarindPulp of fruit can be used fresh for drinks and jam.
Eucalyptus olidaStrawberry gumFresh or dried leaves can be used as a tea or sweet, strawberry flavour enhancer to baking.
Enchylaena tomentosaRuby saltbushSmall, red berries are edible and taste bit salty and sweet.
Eupomatia laurinaNative guavaSoft, sweet flesh and strong, spicy seeds. The whole fruit can be dried and used to flavour foods.
Eustephus latifoliusWombat berryEdible orange fruits and tubers.
Ficus coronataFigRemove hairy outer skin before eating ripe fruit.
Geitonoplesium cymosumScrambling lilyShoots can be boiled and eaten.
Grevillea spp.GrevilleasNectar can be soaked to make a cordial or eaten fresh from flowers.
Hardenbergia violaceaSarsaparillaLeaves as a tea substitute.
Hibiscus sabdariffaNative rosellaEdible red calyxes are high in vitamin c.
Kunzea ambiguaTick bushLeaves can be ground and made into a green paste for flavouring – similar to spinach.
Kunzea pomiferaMuntriesEdible, pinkish yellow small berries best eaten fresh.
Leptospermum petersoniiLemon-scented tea treeLeaves can be used as a tea substitute
Linospadyx monostachysWalking stick palmRed berries best eaten when just ripe.
Lomandra confertifoliaMat rushFlowers and seeds can be used, seeds can be ground and made into flour.
Lomandra longifoliaMat rushFleshy white stems can be eaten raw or cooked, tastes like fresh peas.
Macadamia spp.MacadamiaIconic Australian native edible nut.
Melaleuca spp.PaperbarksNectar can be soaked to make a cordial or eaten fresh from flowers.
Melastoma affineBlue tongueSweet/bitter fruit that stains the tongue blue.
Mentha spp.Native mintsAromatic herb can be used for tea or cooking.
Persoonia pinifoliusGeebungEdible purple fruit best eaten when just fallen from the bush.
Pleiogynium timorenseBurkekin plumDark purple fruit can be eaten fresh or made into a jam.
Podocarpus spp.Plum pinePurple fruit can be eaten fresh or made into a jam.
Prostanthera incisaNative thymeDried leaves used for flavouring.
Prostanthera rotundifoliaNative sageDried leaves used for flavouring.
Randia fitzlaniiMangosteenRaw yellow fruit can be eaten fresh.
Rhagodia spinescensSalt bushEdible leaves, small sweet red berries are also edible.
Rubus spp.Native raspberryEdible fruit, tastes like raspberry.
Smilax glyciphyllaSweet sarsaparillaLeaves can be used to make a sweet tea.
Syzygium leuhmanniiRiberryBright red fruits with spicy taste can be eaten fresh or made into jam.
Syzygium spp.Lilly pillyPink fruits can be eaten fresh or made into jam.
Tasmannia lanceolataPepper bushLeaves and seeds used for flavouring. Spicy pepper flavour.
Tetragona tetragonoidesWarrigal greensBlanched leaves used like spinach
Themeda australisKangaroo grassSeeds can be ground and used as a gluten free flour substitute.
Trachymene incisaNative parsnipEdible root can be eaten raw or cooked. 
Viola hederaceaNative violetFlowers can be used in salad.
Wahlenbergia spp.BluebellFlowers can be used in salads.
SYDNEY WILDFLOWER NURSERY

Since 1983, the Sydney Wildflower Nursery at Heathcote has been providing residents and visitors from around Australia with quality native Australian plants.

Supplying plants for jobs big and small we pride ourselves on our knowledge, passion and extensive range of beautiful and unusual Australian native trees, shrubs and wildflowers.

CONTACT US

9 Veno Street, Heathcote, NSW, 2233

Ph: 02 9548 2818

Email: info@sydneywildflowernursery.com.au

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