Our Feature Flora showcases native Australian bush tucker plants and their wonderful food and medicinal uses. This Feature Flora comes from our new board member, Errol Clarke, a Biripi and Worimi man with a passion for sharing First Nations knowledge. If you have a plant you would like to feature on our blog, we’d love to hear from you!
Nitre Bush or Dillon Bush (Nitraria billardierei)
Plant form: Large Shrub
Water use: Very low – low
Growth: 1-2m high and up to 2-3m wide depending on conditions
Habitat: Coastal areas, salt pans, Mallee areas and alluvial plains
Soils: Heavy clay – clay soils
Flowering: Spring
Fruits: Edible (red/purple ones are sweeter)
Description: Nitre bush or Dillon bush fruits taste like salty grapes, which are produced in summer. Typically found on mainland Australia, mainly in South Australia and Victoria, with pockets of the species found along the coast of Western Australia and parts of NSW. Fruits are edible and were consumed as part of a balanced diet by local Aboriginal people.
Environmental threats: Cattle grazing has been the major impact, as well as land clearance which affects plants spread and germination from native animals like Emus, Mallee Fowl and other native animals which consume the fruits and aid in the seed germination of the plant.
