Fruit & Vegetables Aussie Bush Tucker - An Introduction to Common Native Foods of Australia

Blue lilly pilly. Atlas of Living Australia. © Daniel, 2020.

Names

Native lilly pillies hail from the native flowering myrtle genus Syzygium (S.). Some of them were formerly from genera Acmena [A.] and Eugenia [E.], although modern botanists no longer recognise any distinction (cf. Low, 1991: 74); all now fall under the Syzygium monniker. Common edible species include, but are by no means limited to: the common lilly pilly (S. [A. or E.] smithii); the white lilly pilly, blush satinash or cassowary gum (S. [A.] hemilamprum); the cherry alder or riberry (S. [A.] luehmannii); the creek lilly pilly, scrub cherry or creek satinash (S. australe); the magenta lilly pilly or brush cherry (S. paniculatum); and the beautiful blue lilly pilly or blue cherry (S. oleosum), pictured above. Other popular culivars include the 'powder-puff' lilly pilly (S. wilsonii), a tropical plant with showy flowers; the large-seeded kuranda quandong (S. kuranda); and the water cherry (S. tierneyanum). There are several species of the tropical north also worth mentioning, such as onion wood (S. alliiligneum), bell apple or water cherry (S. aquem) and the simply named native apple (S. eucalyptoides).

Australian lilly pillies are closely related to other fruiting Syzygium species common in tropical south-east Asia: the jambul, jambolan or java plum (S. cumini); the jambos (S. jambos); the malay apple (S. malaccense); the black-fruited gowok (S. polycephalum); and the java apple or waxy jambu (S. samarangense). These relatives will not be otherwise covered here other than in the medicinal section (for details on these other fruits see Lim, 2012 III: 738-742, 745-766, 769-786).

Habitat and Range

The lilly pilly is one of Australia's most iconic native fruits and my first foray into Aussie bush tucker as a child, hence why this article is my first. It was the first native fruit tasted by Captain Cook's exploratory crew in the Botany Bay region and a much enjoyed snackfood by First Nation tribes on the east coast for thousands of years prior (Low, 1989: 62-63). The dangling clusters of glossy purple-magenta to duller white-pink or matte red berries look appealing to the eye upon the dark green foliage of these often majestic rainforest trees.

One will find lilly pilly at home in tropical, subtropical and temperate forests the length of the eastern coast of Australia, from Cape York to the Dandenongs of Victoria, and as garden ornamentals elsewhere (e.g. Western Australia, where they are not native in the south). The various species are at home in the wild particularly along creek banks, behind the dunes at the beach, in the lush tropical rainforest in north Queensland and wet sclerophyll forest between them, up to altitudes of 800 m, being a lover of rich, well-drained loamy soil. Various cultivars of Syzygium thrive in modern suburbia, being used frequently as hedging, screening, and ornamental street trees. All species of lilly pilly will tolerate full sun to significant shade.

Figure 1. Distribution of Syzygium (all species, including former Acmena species) across the continent. Atlas of Living Australia.

Identification

Key Identifying Features

• Shrub or tree, typically from 1.5 to 30+ metres in height
• Small, tough, arrow-head shaped leaves 3-6 cm in length
• Pink, red or copperish-coloured new growth leaves in early spring (August-October)
• Puffy white or pink flowers emerging in clusters which look similar to eucalyptus flowers, emerging after new growth (November-February)
• Psyllid damage on leaves (not always present)
• Fruit is mostly red or pink-magenta; rarely blue (S. oleosum) or white (S. hemilamprum)
• Fruit is dull matte or glossy
• Fruit exhibits 4 or 5 lobes at the tip, and/or a prominent dimple
• Fruit feels crunchy, with spongy white flesh and a single cherry-like seed

Lilly pillies vary greatly in size and shape, from the monstrous 30m rainforest giants to 75cm dwarf ornamental cultivars available in nurseries across the country. One can often identify a lilly pilly at the beginning of spring (August-September) because of their bright pink to copper-orange new growth, which turns to dark green with age.

Figure 2. New growth on a magenta lilly pilly (S. panticulatum) against a background of mature foliage. Sydney Olympic Park. © JPM, 2022.


Figure 3. New growth on a common lilly pilly (S. smithii) against a background of mature foliage. Sydney Olympic Park. © JPM, 2022.


Syzygium species are especially prone to attack by psyllids (pimple gall); psyllid warts on the leaves are thus another identifying feature of these native myrtles.

Figure 4. Psyllid damage on new growth of a Sydney magenta lilly pilly (S. panticulatum). Hornsby. © JPM, 2022.


New spring growth is often followed in October-January by pom-poms of white or pink flowers (rarely, red) with a delightfully sweet fragrance, attracting native bees, insects and honey-eater birds. It is worth noting that lilly pilly can put out flowers at any time of the year, especially if selectively pruned, and thus can be inspected for flowers and fruit at any time, although most flowers and fruit will appear in mid- to late-summer (December-March).

Figure 5. The puffy, pink flowers on a common lilly pilly (S. smithii). © JPM, 2022.


Figure 6. White flowers on the magenta lilly pilly (S. panticulatum). Sydney Olympic Park. © JPM 2022.

Figure 7. White flowers of the common lilly pilly (S. smithii). Atlas of Living Australia. © R. Cumming, 2022.


After pollination, the flowers will turn into cream pods which eventually mature to form the wads of dangling fruits, about 1-4 cm in length. Ripe fruit will turn white, whitish-pink, matte red or bright pink, magenta or purple-blue, usually around late summer through autumn (February-March), but some species can fruit earlier or later than that. Large trees can bear thousands of the fruits, resulting in copious amounts of dropped fruit below the tree. Syzygium fruits have four or five lobes expanding on the base of the fruit, are usually glossy, with a crisp, spongy texture, sour-acid-apple in flavour with a single, cherry-like seed in the centre. Former Acmena and Eugenia genera fruits have a dimple at the base, are usually matte or dull, have a sweeter apple flavour and usually a softer, floury or mealy texture with a single seed. Due to the plethora of subspecies, the flavour of two trees growing next to one another can often differ markedly. Thus, if a tree in your yard or neighbourhood tastes horrible, try elsewhere!

Figure 8. Immature fruit on just-pollinated flowers of a common lilly pilly (S. smithii). Sydney Olympic Park. © JPM, 2022.

Figure 9. Unripe magenta lilly pilly (S. panticulatum) fruit. Sydney Olympic Park. © JPM, 2022.

Figure 10. Creek lilly pilly (S. australe) flower & fruit. Note the protruding basal lobes, glossy skin and light pink colour. Mt. Annan Botanical Garden. © JPM, 2023.


Figure 11. Cherry alder (S. luehmannii) fruit. Note the matte pink-red colour, but it still has 5 discernible basal lobes. Atlas of Living Australia. © J. Vincent, 2022.


Figure 12. Common lilly pilly (S. smithii) fruit. Note the paler white-pink colour, matte skin and basal dimple and no lobes. Atlas of Living Australia. © M. Fagg, 2013.


Figure 13. White fruit of the white lilly pilly (S. hemilamprum). Atlas of Living Australia. © Anon., 1997.


Culinary Uses

Lilly pilly has been cultivated as an ornamental for many decades. Unfortunately, this selective breeding regime has often favoured foliage and flowers over fruiting, meaning that many ornamental varieties available in nursuries may have inferior quality (exceedingly insipid or sour) fruit. Uncultivated species, such as those frequented by indigenous Australians in rainforest, creek or beach settings, can often have superior fruit, both in terms of flavour, nutritional value and size.

Lim cites two nutritional studies as follows:

Riberry (S. luehmannii) per 100 g: water 82 g, energy 84 kJ, protein 0.96 g, fat 0.4 g, ash 0.8 g, total dietary fibre 6.8 g, total sugars 0.42 g, minerals – Ca 100 mg, Fe, 0.9 mg, Mg 48 mg, P, 49 mg, K 250 mg, Na 11 mg, Zn 0.2 mg, Cu 0.3 mg, niacin 0.2 mg (Lim, 2012 III: 768)

Common lilly pilly (S. smithii) per 100 g: energy 18 kJ, moisture, 93.4 g, total dietary fibre 1.1 g, nitrogen 0.05 g, protein 0.3 g, fat 0.1 g, ash 0.2 g, calcium 8 mg, copper 0.2 mg, iron 0.1 mg, magnesium 3 mg, potassium 35 mg, sodium 2 mg, zinc 0.1 mg, niacin equivalents 0.1 mg and vitamin C 1 mg (Lim, 2012 III: 788)

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My experience of various species of lilly pilly draws a distinction in flavour between the Syzygium species and the former Acmena [Eugenia] species no longer recognised by botanists. The tart and often crisp Syzygium fruits make excellent jams and jellies (for recipe, see this article courteousy of ToeNailz) due to their high pectin content. They can be served fresh, de-seeded, and added to summer salads, fruit punch or drinks for their striking and colourful magenta tones and tart, sour, apple-like flavour. Some companies have used the fruits to make fruit wine and gin, a very suitable application of these flavoursome fruits.

Figure 14. What to expect inside the juicy fruit of a magenta lilly pilly (S. panticulatum). The texture is similar to apple but extremely tart, with a single seed surrounded with a spongy, white core material (centre). Newington. © JPM, 2022.


Former Acmena [Eugenia] species are far sweeter with soft flesh; I actually prefer these fresh off the tree! They can be used to make drinks, wine, jams, jellies and sauces lacking the tartness of the juicy S. panticulatum or S. australe fruits.

Figure 15. What to expect inside a common lilly pilly (S. smithii) fruit. Sydney Olympic Park. © JPM, 2023.

The flowers can be soaked in water to extract their sweet, aromatic nectar, but be aware of insects who also call the flowers home; these can be removed by straining the liquid with a fine-mesh seive.

Medicinal Uses

Cheryll Williams (2010 I: 257) laments the lack of studies exploring the medicinal properties of Australia's fruiting lilly pillies, saying:

Little has been done with regard to investigations of Australian Syzygium species and the only way to gain some idea of their pharmacological potential is to review overseas studies. It is lamentable to see such a diverse native genus languish pharmacologically.

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With that said, it is known that Australian Syzygium fruits are high in anthocyanine phenolic compounds, which are potent antioxidants, although their vitamin C levels are not as high as other native fruits (see table 1. in Netzel et al., 2007: 341). Production of lilly pilly fruit wines are probably the best way to extract their anthocyanine phenolic compounds (Williams, 2010 I: 250). Lim (2012 III: 744) says of S. australe: "Brush cherry has similar antioxidant levels to blueberries. Its anthocyanins were malvidin based glucosides and malvidin 3, 5-diglucoside was the main anthocyanin pigment." S. luehmannii had the same praise (Lim, 2012 III: 768). Lilly pilly leaves and fruit can also be drunk as a tea to alleviate colds and flus.

Leaf and fruit alcohol or ethanol extracts have proven antibiotic effects (Williams, 2010 I: 257), although I would ponder whether this comes from the plant extracts or the alcohols. The tropical Asian jambul (S. cumini) has been one of the most medicinally researched of these trees and fruit infusions (teas) or decoctions have found proven usefulness as an antifungal and antibacterial suitable for internal or external use. This plant (S cumini) and S. samarangense also have proven anti-diabetic effects, provoking insulin production in the pancreas (Williams, 2010 I: 258-259). The PDR recommends dosages of 30 dried and powdered seeds (1.9 g) for diabetic and gastrointestinal issues (Gruenwald et al., 2000: 429-430). The bark of jambul (S. cumini) is also approved in the PDR for use as a treatment for diarrhea, inflammation of the mouth or pharynx, and topical use for skin inflammation. Dosage was listed at 1-2 tsp of dried, powdered bark boiled in 150 ml water, strained and drunk, gargled or applied as a wash to inflammed areas. It is likely that Australian lilly pillies may share these medicinal applications to varying extents.

Other Uses

All native Syzygium have been used as popular hedging and ornamental plants for decades and excel as wind breaks and screening plants due to their dense foliage from trunk to tip.

Common lilly pilly (S. smithii) is mentioned as having timber suitable for general construction: fittings, frames and flooring; magenta lilly pilly (S. panticulatum) would have similar uses for the timber, as it can grow into a very large tree with a thick trunk suitable for planks, tool handles and canoes. The First Nation tribes of North Queensland often used Syzygium timber for boomerangs, shields and clubs (Maiden, 1889: 530-532).

Maiden (1889: 29; S. australe referred to under the old latin name Eugenia myrtifolia) includes a formula for the fruit's potential use as a litmus test: "The colouring matter, which is soluble in alcohol and ether-alcohol, but not in pure ether [ethanol], is precipitated by lead-acetate, decolourised by reducing agents, and recovers its red colour on exposure to the air, just like litmus and the red colour of wine."

Caution

Small spiders and insects are wont to make their home under the lobes and inside dimples of some fruits. Always check before eating straight from the tree (personal experience). It is always a good idea to wash fruit in water before consumption. Virtually all species of Syzygium have edible fruits, but not all are palatable. Learn where the best trees are in your area and keep going back year after year.

References/Further Reading

Atlas of Living Australia, "Syzygium alliiligneum." [LINK]
Atlas of Living Australia, "Syzygium aquem." [LINK]
Atlas of Living Australia, "Syzygium australe." [LINK]
Atlas of Living Australia, "Syzygium eucalyptoides." [LINK]
Atlas of Living Australia, "Syzygium hemilamprum." [LINK]
Atlas of Living Australia, "Syzygium kuranda." [LINK]
Atlas of Living Australia, "Syzygium luehmannii." [LINK]
Atlas of Living Australia, "Syzygium oleosum." [LINK]
Atlas of Living Australia, "Syzygium panticulatum." [LINK]
Atlas of Living Australia, "Syzygium smithii." [LINK]
Atlas of Living Australia, "Syzygium tierneyanum." [LINK]
Atlas of Living Australia, "Syzygium wilsonii." [LINK]
C_ck, Ian (2011), Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of Australia. EOLSS Publishers [LINK]
Gruenwald et al. (2000), "Jambolan (Syzygium cumini)." PDR for Herbal Medicine (2nd edition; Montvale: Medical Economics Company), pp. 429-430.
Hiddins (2002), "Cassowary Gum (Acmena [Syzygium] hemilampra)." [LINK]
Hiddins (2002), "Onion Wood (Syzygium alliiligneum)." [LINK]
Hiddins (2002), "Water Cherry, Bell Cherry (Syzygium aqueum)." [LINK]
Hiddins (2002), "Native Apple (Syzygium eucalyptoides)." [LINK]
Lim (2012), Edible Plants, Vol. III, pp. 738-788.
Low (1989), Bush Tucker, pp. 62-63.
Low, (1991), Wild Food, pp. 74-77.
Maiden (1889), Useful Native Plants, p. 29 & 530-532.
Netzel, Michael, et al. (2007), "Native Australian fruits — a novel source of antioxidants for food." Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies 8(3): 339-346 [LINK]
Williams (2010), Medicinal Plants, Vol. I, pp. 240-261, esp. 257-261.