Illawarra Plum Pine is one of the most palatable local species, with its fleshy purple fruit. These are only borne on female plants. Image by Byron Cawthorne-McGregor. |
Trees | Notes |
Black Apple (Planchonella australis) | Small to medium tree with large, tasty plum-like fruit that are best eaten fresh; full sun or part shade |
Illawarra Flame Tree (Brachychiton acerifolius) | Tall rainforest tree with edible yellow seeds - requires processing (to remove irritating hairs) and roasting or baking; full sun |
Coastal Banksia (Banksia integrifolia) | Small or medium sized tree with flowers in the form of ‘candles’ containing nectar; full sun |
Illawarra Plum Pine (Podocarpus elatus) | Slow growing medium tree with glossy green leaves and tasty purple fruit; sun or shade |
Native Tamarind (Diploglottis australis) | Tall rainforest tree with delicious tart orange fruit (which are often high up and difficult to access); full sun or part shade |
Brush Cherry (Syzygium australe) | Medium to large tree with edible pink fruit, good for jam or eating fresh; full sun or part shade |
Magenta Cherry (Syzygium paniculatum) | Neat small tree with edible reddish fruit good for making jam; full sun or part shade |
Native Hibiscus (Hibiscus heterophyllus) | Small, fast-growing tree with a neat conical shape and edible leaf veins; full sun or part shade |
Grey Myrtle (Backhousia myrtifolia) | Small tree whose leaves have a cinnamon like scent and can be used in cooking; full sun or part shade |
Shrubs | |
Native Currant (Coprosma quadrifida) | Small-leaved shrub to 3m with edible red berries; prickly; part shade |
Elderberry Panax (Polyscias sambucifolia) | Medium sized shrub or small tree with tart but tasty blue berries, ideal for baking or preserves; full sun to full shade |
Coastal Wattle (Acacia longifolia subsp. sophorae) | Large, spreading shrub to 3m with broad green leaves and edible seeds; full sun |
Bolwarra (Eupomatia laurina) | Shrub to 4m with arching branches and edible fruit; part or full shade |
Brush Pepperberry (Tasmannia insipida) | Thin stemmed shrub to 3m with glossy leaves and edible, peppery berries; part shade |
Cockspur Thorn (Maclura cochinchinensis) | Technically a woody climber, with many large spines but palatable soft fruit; part shade |
Berry Saltbush (Einadia hastata) | Hardy low shrub to 30cm with many tiny but tasty bright red fruit; full sun |
Climbers | |
Apple Berry (Billardiera scandens) | Medium-sized climber with soft hairy leaves and edible fruit; full sun or part shade |
Giant Pepper Vine (Piper hederaceum) | Large vine with heart-shaped leaves and edible pepper fruit, can be pruned to size; full sun or part shade |
Native Sarsaparilla (Smilax glyciphylla) | Delicate twiner with decorative red new growth and tangy fruit; part shade |
Native Raspberry (Rubus parviflorus or R. rosifolius) | Low climbers or groundcovers with prickly stems and edible raspberry fruits; full sun or part shade |
Low plants and groundcovers | |
Native Mint (Mentha diemenica) | Neat low mint plant with a gentle mint flavour to its leaves; part shade |
Pigface (Carpobrotus glaucescens) | Succulent groundcover for sandy sites, the fruit are tasty and young leaves can be blanched and eaten; full sun |
Warrigal Greens (Tetragonia tetragonioides) | A low spreading plant with soft green edible spinach-like leaves; part shade |
Sea Celery (Apium prostratum) | Small coastal plant with leaves that can be used like parsley; full sun |
Rainforest Spinach (Elatostema reticulatum) | Attractive low plant for the edge of a pond or other permanently wet spot in part or full shade; the leaves are tasty eaten raw |
Blue Flax-lily (Dianella caerulea) | Strappy clumping perennial with edible blue fruit; full sun or part shade |
Native Flax (Linum marginale) | Delicate small annual or biennial with blue flowers and edible flax seeds; part shade |
Samphire (Sarcocornia quinqueflora) | Small edible succulent from the edges of saltmarsh, a culinary favourite; full sun |
Warrigal Greens (Tetragonia tetragonoides) is a great little semi-succulent groundcover that has the added benefit of being edible. Image by Tracee Lea ©. |
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