Lilly Pilly (Acmena smithii/Syzygium smithii)

The fruit of the Lilly Pilly tree usually ripen between April and August and signal the coming of the colder weather. Aboriginal people across many diverse groups consumed Lilly Pilly fruit as a refreshing snack food, most often enjoyed raw. The soft nut inside the fruit can also be eaten and has a spicy flavour. The fruit is known to have been preserved by being dried and then soaked in water prior to being eaten later. Fruit was sometimes crushed and added to the sap of various acacias, becoming a stiff jelly enjoyed by children as a snack while they traversed Country.

Soure: Indigenous plant use; A booklet on the medicinal, nutritional and technological use of indigenous plants; By Zena Cumpston; Clean Air and Urban Landscapes (CAUL) Hub in Melbourne 2020