Fragrant Acronychia
Acronychia imperforata
- Popular?
- Niche bushfood
- First Nations use
- Traditional aromatic fruit
- How to use
- Chutneys or syrups
- Grow
- Evergreen small tree; part shade; moist soil
Fruit safe but bitter
Bushtucker · First Nations ingredients
Eating the Australian landscape
Australia's native plants have sustained people on this country for tens of thousands of years. Many are perfectly adapted to the Sunshine Coast's subtropical climate — resilient, nutritious, and full of unique flavour.
Growing native edible plants can bring more resilience and food security to your garden, and a deeper connection to this place.
This guide celebrates edible native species that thrive in local gardens and farms, connecting past and future through taste, culture and care for Country.
We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands now known as the Sunshine Coast — the Kabi Kabi (Gubbi Gubbi) and Jinibara peoples — who have lived lightly on Country and alongside all living things upon it for countless generations. We pay our deepest respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and recognise that First Nations peoples continue to hold the knowledge and stories of these plants.
This work was also inspired by the list of native edibles kindly provided by plant collector Atilla Justin Zeytinli. Many of the species below are grown right here at the Fairhill Nursery. Use this as both a planting and a tasting guide.
Bon appétit. 🌿
Grown here
Most of these plants are propagated at Fairhill Nursery, suited to the Sunshine Coast.
Cook with them
From bush pepper to finger lime, our kitchen uses these ingredients daily at The Garden Café.
Respect Country
These flavours come from First Nations knowledge held for tens of thousands of years.
The Plants
42 edible Australian natives
From lemon myrtle and finger lime to bush yam and Davidson's plum — each with cultural notes, safe handling tips and growing advice for subtropical gardens.
To order
Native Ginger
Alpinia caerulea
- Popular?
- Yes
- First Nations use
- Widely used
- How to use
- Shoots and blue arils in cooking
- Grow
- Part shade; moist soil
Seeds inedible
Old Man Saltbush
Atriplex nummularia
- Popular?
- Widely used as a hardy, salty-flavoured leafy green
- First Nations use
- Long used as a traditional food and fodder plant in arid regions
- How to use
- Young leaves fresh or cooked; in roasts, breads, seasoning, or as a spinach substitute
- Grow
- Very hardy shrub; full sun; free-draining soil; drought-tolerant
Leaves contain natural salts; use in moderation
Lemon Myrtle
Backhousia citriodora
- Popular?
- Very popular
- First Nations use
- Flavouring and medicine
- How to use
- Leaves for teas, desserts, syrups
- Grow
- Sun – part shade; well-drained soil
Essential oil strong
Cinnamon Myrtle
Backhousia myrtifolia
- Popular?
- Yes
- First Nations use
- Aromatic herb
- How to use
- Leaves in teas, baking
- Grow
- Hardy shrub; sun – part shade
Safe
Native Leek
Bulbine bulbosa
- Popular?
- Yes
- First Nations use
- Staple roasted root
- How to use
- Roast or boil corms
- Grow
- Full sun; free-draining soil
Correct ID essential
Native Pigface
Carpobrotus glaucescens
- Popular?
- Yes
- First Nations use
- Fruit and leaves
- How to use
- Eat fruit fresh; pickle leaves
- Grow
- Coastal; full sun; sandy soil
Avoid invasive hybrids
Finger Lime
Citrus australasica
- Popular?
- Extremely popular
- First Nations use
- Bush citrus
- How to use
- Lime caviar for seafood and desserts
- Grow
- Sun – part shade; well-drained soil
Sharp thorns
Queensland Bluebush
Chenopodium auricomum
- Popular?
- Yes
- First Nations use
- Traditional leafy green
- How to use
- Cook as spinach
- Grow
- Hardy; sandy soil; sun
Contains oxalates — cook lightly
Davidson's Plum
Davidsonia jerseyana
- Popular?
- Highly popular
- First Nations use
- Important rainforest fruit
- How to use
- Jams, sauces
- Grow
- Part shade; moist fertile soil
Very tart fruit
Chocolate Lily
Dichopogon fimbriatus
- Popular?
- Yes — tubers
- First Nations use
- Edible tubers
- How to use
- Roast tubers
- Grow
- Well-drained soil; sun – part shade
Correct ID essential
Black Plum
Diospyros pentamera
- Popular?
- Yes — ripe fruit
- First Nations use
- Bushfood fruit
- How to use
- Eat ripe or preserves
- Grow
- Rainforest tree; moist soil
Unripe fruit astringent
Native Tamarind
Diploglottis australis
- Popular?
- Yes
- First Nations use
- Traditional rainforest food
- How to use
- Chutneys, drinks
- Grow
- Part shade; rich moist soil
Eat arils only
Beach Cherry
Eugenia reinwardtiana
- Popular?
- Yes
- First Nations use
- Eaten fresh
- How to use
- Fresh fruit, jams
- Grow
- Coastal hardy shrub
None known
Climbing Pandan
Freycinetia scandens
- Popular?
- Mildly — soft inner parts and ripe fruit are edible
- First Nations use
- Used traditionally for fibre, binding and weaving; soft inner portions eaten
- How to use
- Tender inner shoots or soft ripe fruit flesh; mild pandan-like aromatic
- Grow
- Vigorous climber; part shade; moist, well-drained soil; needs humidity
Some parts contain calcium oxalate crystals; consume only soft, ripe inner material
Holly-leaf Fuchsia
Graptophyllum ilicifolium
- Popular?
- Rare edible heart tissue
- First Nations use
- Traditional use
- How to use
- Eat tender heart
- Grow
- Part shade; moist soil
Only inner heart edible
Native Hibiscus
Hibiscus diversifolius
- Popular?
- Yes — young leaves
- First Nations use
- Edible greens
- How to use
- Cooked like spinach
- Grow
- Moist soils; sun – part shade
Spines on stems
Australian Indigo
Indigofera australis
- Popular?
- Occasionally — flowers sometimes used decoratively
- First Nations use
- Fibre, dye, limited edible flower use
- How to use
- Small amounts of flowers as garnish
- Grow
- Sun – part shade; well-drained soil
Seeds and some parts may be toxic — use flowers only
Bush Yam
Ipomoea costata
- Popular?
- Significant traditional yam
- First Nations use
- Staple desert food
- How to use
- Roast or bake tubers
- Grow
- Full sun; sandy soil
Ensure correct species
Native Cress
Lepidium oxytrichum
- Popular?
- Increasingly popular peppery herb
- First Nations use
- Greens and medicine
- How to use
- Salads, sauces
- Grow
- Moist soil; part shade
Strong flavour
Bush Banana
Leichhardtia australis
- Popular?
- Highly regarded
- First Nations use
- Fruit, flowers, leaves eaten
- How to use
- Raw or lightly cooked
- Grow
- Climbing vine; full sun
Eat young fruits
Macadamia
Macadamia integrifolia
- Popular?
- Very popular
- First Nations use
- Nut used traditionally
- How to use
- Roasted nuts, baking, oils
- Grow
- Full sun; well-drained soil
Hard shell but nut safe
Blue Tongue
Melastoma affine
- Popular?
- Yes
- First Nations use
- Fruit eaten fresh
- How to use
- Fresh ripe fruit
- Grow
- Moist soil; part shade
Leaves rough
Native River Mint
Mentha australis
- Popular?
- Very popular
- First Nations use
- Tea and medicine
- How to use
- Teas, drinks, marinades
- Grow
- Moist soil; part shade
None known
Yam Daisy
Microseris lanceolata
- Popular?
- Historically important
- First Nations use
- Staple roasted tuber
- How to use
- Roast or mash tubers
- Grow
- Full sun; well-drained soil
Ensure correct species
Noni
Morinda citrifolia
- Popular?
- More medicinal than culinary
- First Nations use
- Medicine and food
- How to use
- Juices and tonics
- Grow
- Tropical; full sun
Strong-smelling fruit
Native Banana
Musa banksii
- Popular?
- Yes
- First Nations use
- Eaten ripe
- How to use
- Eat fresh or cook
- Grow
- Moist, rich soil; warm site
Seeds large
Rusty Plum
Niemeyera whitei
- Popular?
- Limited
- First Nations use
- Fresh fruit
- How to use
- Eat ripe
- Grow
- Moist shaded soil
Eat only soft ripe fruit
Screwpine
Pandanus tectorius
- Popular?
- Fruit & leaf bases used
- First Nations use
- Food and weaving
- How to use
- Cook leaf bases; use fruit
- Grow
- Coastal; sandy soil; sun
Some varieties spiny
Geebungs
Persoonia spp.
- Popular?
- Yes when very ripe
- First Nations use
- Fresh fruit
- How to use
- Eat fully ripe
- Grow
- Sandy soil; sun – part shade
Unripe fruit sour
Native Pepper Vine
Piper hederaceum
- Popular?
- Increasingly common
- First Nations use
- Aromatic uses
- How to use
- Leaves in curries; berries as spice
- Grow
- Part shade; moist soil. Needs male & female plant
Strong flavour
Bush Potato
Platysace deflexa
- Popular?
- Traditional root food
- First Nations use
- Tubers roasted
- How to use
- Roast or bake
- Grow
- Sandy soils; dry woodland
Ensure correct species
Plum Pine
Podocarpus elatus
- Popular?
- Yes
- First Nations use
- Fruit eaten
- How to use
- Fresh fruit or preserves
- Grow
- Moist fertile soil; part shade
Seed inedible
Needle-leaf Pine / Yew Plum Pine
Podocarpus spinulosus
- Popular?
- Increasing interest — soft fleshy aril is edible and mild
- First Nations use
- Fleshy aril traditionally eaten fresh when ripe
- How to use
- Eat soft outer 'fruit' fresh or lightly cooked; needs male + female plant for fruit
- Grow
- Hardy understory conifer; part shade; moist well-drained soil; coastal tolerant
Only the soft outer part is edible; the hard seed is not
Oval-leaved Mint Bush
Prostanthera ovalifolia
- Popular?
- Leaves used as a fragrant bush herb
- First Nations use
- Traditionally for fragrance, soothing smoke and flavouring
- How to use
- Fresh leaves for herbal teas, flavouring meats, aromatic garnishes
- Grow
- Fast-growing shrub; sun – part shade; well-drained soil
Strong aromatic oils; use sparingly
Round-leaved Mint Bush
Prostanthera rotundifolia
- Popular?
- Stronger flavour than P. ovalifolia
- First Nations use
- Aromatic, cleansing smoke and soothing uses
- How to use
- Fresh leaves in teas, marinades, lamb herb rubs, savoury dishes
- Grow
- Hardy evergreen shrub; sun – part shade; well-drained soil
Aromatic oils are potent; use lightly
Australian Sandalwood
Santalum spicatum
- Popular?
- Kernels edible
- First Nations use
- Food and medicine
- How to use
- Roast kernels
- Grow
- Dry well-drained soil; hemi-parasitic
Hard shell; use only kernel
Kangaroo Apple
Solanum aviculare
- Popular?
- ONLY fully ripe fruit
- How to use
- Eat only fully ripe fruit
- Grow
- Moist soil; part shade
Unripe fruit TOXIC
Desert Raisin
Solanum centrale
- Popular?
- Very popular dried
- First Nations use
- Staple dried fruit
- How to use
- Sauces, chutneys
- Grow
- Arid conditions; full sun
Only ripe fruit edible
Dorrigo Pepper
Tasmannia stipitata
- Popular?
- Very popular spice
- First Nations use
- Aromatic spice
- How to use
- Seasoning — leaves and berries
- Grow
- Cool moist shade
Strong heat
NSW Waratah
Telopea speciosissima
- Popular?
- Nectar only
- How to use
- Nectar
- Grow
- Well-drained sandy soil; part shade
Not a major edible plant
Kakadu Plum
Terminalia ferdinandiana
- Popular?
- Extremely — vitamin-C rich
- How to use
- Culinary section in development
- Grow
- Warm tropics; full sun
In our kitchen
Kitchen favourite indigenous ingredients
Eaten and served daily at The Garden Café.
Finger lime
in smoothies, salads
Lemon myrtle
lemon myrtle salt, lemon myrtle cream pavlova
Pepperberry
pork and pepperberry savouries
Wattleseed
Australiano coffee with toasted wattleseed
Farm-to-table, pasture-to-plate
From our home farm and growers
Alongside our bushtucker, Fairhill ingredients come from our own regenerative farm at Bamboo Park, eight minutes away.
From the farm
- Bamboo Park pasture-raised pork
- Bamboo Park pasture-raised eggs
- Bamboo Park raw honey
- Bamboo Park orchard fruit in season — sugar bananas, clementines, lemons, limes, oranges, mandarins, turmeric
Locally grown culinary herbs
- Mentha spicata — spearmint
- Mentha suaveolens — apple mint
- Ocimum basilicum — basil (incl. Thai basil)
- Petroselinum crispum — parsley (incl. flat-leaf)
- Rungia klossi — mushroom plant
- Salvia officinalis — sage
- Thymus vulgaris — thyme
Take a piece of the landscape home
Browse our edible native plants in the iconic Fairhill Nursery — or visit The Garden Café to taste them on the plate.
Happiness is in our nature.