Driving along the other day passing rocky country and then sand dune after sand dune there was one that stood out.

It was purple.

The dune’s slopes were covered in Parakeelya. And they don’t seem to be the common form of Parakeelya, Calandrinia balonensis, but the less common form, Calandrinia reticulata (formerly remota) which has the rounded cylindrical type leaves.

In amongst the purple there was also a variant. There was one plant with a white flower.

The leaves hold a lot of moisture and can be eaten raw. The whole plant including the roots can be eaten and is usually steamed. The taste isn’t that bad but I can understand it being a food of last resort. Apparently the seeds also used to be harvested and ground to a paste. I have yet to see them in seed but I can imagine a dune covered in flowers would provide a lot of seed.

Further information on these and other plants used in central Australia by Aboriginal people can be found in Bushfires & Bushtucker Aboriginal Plant Use in Central Australia by Peter Latz.

I hope you enjoy the pictures. Clicking on the pictures as always takes you to a larger version.

Have a Pleasant Sunday Afternoon.

Tagged as: Aboriiginal plant use, botany, Calandrinia balonensis, Calandrinia remota, Calandrinia reticulata, Parakeelya, Peter Latz

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