Ruby Saltbush - Enchylaena tomentosa

Enchylaena tomentosa

This inconspicuous little succulent is a halophyte that can be found in any state of Australia, and has edible leaves and berries. The berries are small (~5mm) and though usually red can be yellow, although I believe that the yellow fruit are immature stages of the red fruit, as they occur on the same plant. The plant is quite variable, from prostrate to upright, with grey to green leaves. There are two varieties in South-east QLD, E. tomentosa var. tomentosa and E. tomentosa var. glabra, having either tomentose or glabrous stems and leaves respectively.

Genus species	Ruby Saltbush
CHENOPODIACEAE
Identification Shrub up to 1.5m (rarely this tall), often procumbent. Terete (cylindrical) leaves tomentose, giving greyish appearance. Fruiting perianths red or yellow, depressed-globose, succulent	Habitat Found throughout most of Australia, both coastally and inland, also a common plant of salt marshes.
Flowers  year round	Fruits  year round
Etymology   Tomentose – covered with short dense matted hairs	Warning   None
Edibility Raw- fruit and leaves	Medicinal Prevents scurvy



Red and yellow fruit on the same shrub

The leaves have been eaten by early white people in Australia to prevent and/or cure scurvy. There is no other medical information available on this plant. There are records of the fruit being eaten by the Alyawara people of central Australia.



Cylindrical cross section of succulent leaf



Leaf arrangement around stem



The fruit taste sweet and salty



The large seed inside each fruit

Exerpt from Stanley & Ross

 

References O’Connell, J & Barnett, P. 1983.  Traditional and Modern Plant Use among the Alyawara of Central Australia. Economic Botany 37(1) : 80-109 Stanley, T & Ross, E. Flora of South-eastern Queensland V1. 1983. Department of Primary Industries (QLD)

Pipturus argenteus

This Australian native plant is useful both as a bush food plant and as a medicinal plant.

Pipturus argenteus	Native Mulberry
URTICACEAE
Identification Small tree or shrub <8m. Petioles; 0.5-9cm. Blades; ovate to narrow ovate. Apex; acuminate. Base; cuneate to obtuse. Margin; serrate. Leaf; 3.5-18cm x 1.8-8cm. Lower leaf surface; hoary white pubescent. Inflorescence; axillary, 3-7 clusters of flowers along a spike. Fruits; white/transparent  ~1cm, pitted irregularly.	Cultivation  Occurs naturally in rainforest margins, native to south-eastern QLD. Easily cultivated in backyards, prefers subtropical area. I have this growing ~2km from the coast, in sandy soil.
Flowers  summer to winter	Fruits   May-?
Etymology   “The generic name Pipturus is derived from the Greek pipto, to fall, and oura, tail, in reference to the caducous stigma.” From nativeplants.hawaii.edu.	Warning   None

  Figure 1. Leaves, note pubescence on underside of left leaf.

Figure 2. Fruit

Figure 3. Bark is olive green/brown,  with raised, textured striations that are warm brown.

Figure 4. Leaves are alternate.

Pipturus argenteus is a great plant, and very easy to grow. I never watered it, and it thrived. I have two growing, and one has a shrub habit, while the other (younger) has a tree habit, and is ~4.5 metres high, at ~3 years old. I have seen this plant self seed very easily in semi-natural rainforest, but it has not done so on my property yet.

A member of the Nettle family, this plant has NO sting. The fruit are quite nice, not particularly flavoursome, but gently sweet with a delicate flavour, and very soft, in fact it is difficult to pick them without squishing them, so they may never make it as a commercial crop despite being more-ish. They are eaten raw, but I suppose that they could be cooked.

Whilst I am not aware of any medicinal usage of this plant in Australia (that does not mean that there was none, there probably was, and if you know of any, please let me know), research conducted in Papua New Guinea states that it was used (on Buka Island) for several ailments. For coughs and stomach aches, the leaves are crushed with a little water, the solution is then squeezed out and drunk twice daily. For centipede bites, the scraped roots are chewed with betel nut and lime, the mixture then being rubbed into the bites, or leaves are crushed and applied directly to the bite. To help fresh wounds or tooth-ache, the sap is applied directly. Additionally, in Simbu Province, the sap feom the scraped inside bark is heated with the leaf of Rubus ledermanii and eaten daily to soothe a bad cough.

Edit; on the 17 August (2 days ago) I pruned my Pipturis, and found the green bark stripped off in long strips, I plaited some, and it holds together really well. Two days later, it is dry but still strong. I am reasonably strong and I couldn't break it by pulling. I think if three plaits were plaited together, or if it was made 2-ply before plaiting it could be used for many purposes. Plus, it is winter - the dry season here, so for bark to strip in winter is rare-ish.

It is almost 90cm long.

These photos were taken 2 days after making the cordage.

It is about 2mm thick.

References

Holdsworth, D. 1980. Traditional medicinal plants of the North Solomons Province Papua New Guinea. Quart. J. Crude Drug Res, 18;33-34

Holdsworth, D, & Sakulas, H. 1992. High altitude medicinal plants of Papua New Guinea Part II. Mount Wilhelm, Simbu province. Int. J. Pharmacognosy, 30; 1-4

Stanley, t, & Ross, E. 1995. Flora of south-eastern Queensland. Department of Primary Industries