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gugumadharraaBlack yam, Land yam, Gargaloo, Monkey vine

Language name gugumadharraa (yuwalaraay, yuwalayaay) gaguulmadharraa (yuwalaraay, yuwalayaay)

Scientific name Parsonsia eucalyptophylla

Plant location gugumadharraa (Black yam) is widespread in woodland and scrub in the central and western areas of the Border Rivers and Gwydir catchments.

Plant description gugumadharraa is a strong woody climber. The young plants climb by clinging roots while the older plants climb with twining stems. It has watery sap. The fruit, which grows to 6cm long, is an oval-shaped hairy pod which splits to release seeds and silky hairs. The flowers are yellow, tubular and smell sweet. The leaves can be very long and thin, growing up to 30cm long and 2cm wide.

Traditional use gugumadharraa has a poisonous, dark-coloured tuber or yam. Children are warned against confusing this plant with gaagulu (Bush banana) which it slightly resembles when young. dhinagarral is the yuwalaraay word for poison. This is said to be made from various substances, including ground up human bones and gugumadharraa. dhinagarral was once administered through food. Apart from these nasty qualities, gugumadharraa is an important plant for wildlife as food and habitat.

Flowers Vine habit Fruit

186

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gaagulu Bush banana, Native pear, Native potato

Language name gaagulu (yuwalaraay, yuwalayaay)giban (yuwalaraay, yuwalayaay)

Scientific name Marsdenia viridiflora

Plant location gaagulu (Bush banana) grows in woodland and scrub in the central area of the Border Rivers and Gwydir catchments.

Plant description gaagulu is a twining vine which grows to 4 m high. The young stems grow fine hairs on them whilst the leaves and older stems are hairless. The leaves are long and thin, growing to 12cm long, and a little bit fleshy. The flowers are yellow and shaped like a cup. The fruit are greenish drooping pods which grow to 10cm long and split to release seeds. gaagulu is often found twining over shrubs, fences and the ground.

Traditional use gaagulu is a very useful food plant. The flowers, leaves and young pods are eaten raw, while mature brown pods are roasted in the coals. The roasted seed pods are delicious, said to taste like zucchini or squash, and are very healthy, containing high levels of the vitamin thiamine. gaagulu is occasionally known as the native potato, as it produces large tubers. These tubers are quite watery, and were eaten as a food or sucked to quench the thirst (Low 1991).

Arthur Dodd tells us, ‘They are a long yam on a green vine, and are good if you’re thirsty.’ ‘Roots are roasted, pounded with rocks to separate the flesh from the tough inner core, and only the skin and flesh is eaten.’ ‘gaagulu is the vine that giban grows on.’ ‘You follow the vine, find one the size of a tennis ball joined onto another one, then you dig further and get one the size of your head.’ ‘When you eat them you wouldn’t know when to knock off.’ ‘Sweet.’

While Fred Reece reckons,‘giban is a big potato.’ ‘There were some at the Three Mile (at Lightning Ridge), vine run up the tree, with fruit.’ ‘You then dig down, and you get one then another, all full of water.’ ‘They only grow in certain parts, in patches, grow as big as grapefruit, all white as snow, full of water, eat them raw, taste earthy, and all water – a bit sweetish.’

gaagulu also provides food and habitat for wildlife.

Flower Vine Leaves

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wudhugaaTarvine

Language name wudhugaa (gamilaraay, yuwaalaraay, yuwaalayaay)

Scientific name Boerhavia dominii

Plant location The wudhugaa (Tarvine) is found in open grasslands and woodlands, growing on a variety of soil types, throughout the Border Rivers and Gwydir catchments. This plant is common, and is often found growing on bare soil.

Plant description wudhugaa is a low-growing perennial plant. It has tiny pink flowers and sticky seeds which easily attach to hair and clothing. The leaves are oval or triangular, about 4cm long and 2cm wide and have a pale underside.

Traditional use wudhugaa is a starch root food - it has a large taproot that stores carbohydrates and water.

‘You get a big carrot root, cook it and eat it, very nice… Cook it in the bottom of a hole, grass on the coals. Have all the vegetables clean, put them on the green grass, put grass on top of them and coals from another fire on top of the grass again and put the dirt on top, make it airtight if you can’ – Anonymous.

Flowers Creeping vine and leaves Leaves

190

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mugiyala Native grape

Language name mugiyala (yuwalaraay)

bibu (yuwalayaay)

Scientific name Cayratia clematidea

Plant location The mugiyala (Native grape) is widespread in the central and eastern areas of the Border Rivers and Gwydir catchments. It often grows on the edge of rainforest.

Plant description mugiyala looks like a grape vine, with clusters of green to black fruit, twining stems and grape-like leaves. The leaves, which are in groups of five, are soft, pale green and deeply serrated. Small tubers are often found growing from the roots.

Traditional use The fruit can be eaten raw. They taste like grapes, but if you eat too many, they will hurt your throat! The tubers are sometimes also roasted and eaten but they were not considered to be popular or important foods (Low 1991).

Vine habit Leaves and stems Fruit

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False sarsaparilla, Happy wanderer, Purple coral pea

Language name Unknown

Scientific name Hardenbergia violacea

Plant location False Sarsaparilla is widespread in a variety of habitats throughout the Border Rivers and Gwydir catchments.

Plant description With its beautiful purple pea flowers and thick green leathery leaves, False Sarsaparilla is easy to recognise. It is a twining climber that produces green-brown seed pods which grow to 4.5cm long.

Traditional use During summer, the fruit can be collected and eaten. The gurayn (flowers) were useful as a medicine to treat chest infections and were made into a mouthwash which was gargled to treat mouth ulcers. The climbing stems, which are long and flexible, can be used as rope or as string to make baskets. In some areas of Australia, Aboriginal people know when they see False Sarsaparilla start to flower, that is it time to go to the rivers and lakes to catch fat fish (Williams and Sides 2008). This plant can also be important for wildlife habitat, for example, butterflies lay eggs on the girran.girraa (leaves) of this vine and caterpillars like to eat the girran.girraa. Early Australian pioneers believed that this plant could be made into a drink which had health benefits, similar to Sarsaparilla.

Seed pods Vine habit Leaf and Flowers

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ngayuumCamel melon

Language name ngayuum (yuwaalaraay)

Scientific name Citrullus lanatus

Plant location The ngayuum (Camel melon) is found in the western and central areas of the Border Rivers and Gwydir catchments.

Plant description The ngayuum vine is easy to identify with its large green melon (up to 30cm in diameter) with yellow blotches on its skin and dark brown seeds. It has hairy green leaves which grow to 20cm long and yellow flowers. It grows along the ground and is an introduced plant from Asia and Africa.

Traditional use The melon can be eaten. Animals also use the melon for food and habitat. Do not mix up this plant with bungal (Paddymelon), as bungal can be poisonous!

Vine habit Fruit

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bungalPaddymelon

Language name bungal (gamilaraay)

Scientific name Citrullus colocynthis

Plant location The bungal (Paddymelon) is found in the western area of the Border Rivers and Gwydir catchments.

Plant description The bungal vine is easy to identify with its medium-sized green melon with yellow lines along its skin. The melon of the bungal, growing up to 10cm in diameter, is smaller than the melon of the ngayuum (Camel melon), which grows up to 30cm in diameter. The bungal has greyish green leaves which grow to 10cm long and are shaped like a triangle. It has yellow flowers with five petals and yellow seeds. It grows along the ground. It is an introduced plant from Asia and Africa.

Traditional use In some areas bungal is poisonous. It has very bitter pulp and has been known to cause the death of people. It is, however, used as a medicine. It can be used to heal skin infections such as ringworm and scabies. The juice can be warmed and rubbed into the skin to treat these infections (Low 1991, Purcell 2002). bungal has sometimes been used as a purgative when the pulp is dried and mixed in small proportions with other substances (Cribb & Cribb 1981). Don’t mix this plant up with ngayuum (Camel melon)!

Photo: Australian National Botanic Gardens