Bush banana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bush banana |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Marsdenia
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| Species: |
australis
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| Synonyms | |
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Leichardtia australis R.Br. |
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The bush banana (also known as the silky pear or green vine) is a special plant from Australia. Its scientific name is Marsdenia australis. You can find it growing in Central Australia and all over Western Australia. This plant is a very important bush tucker food for Indigenous Australians.
Indigenous Australians have many different names for the bush banana. For example, in the Arrernte language from Central Australia, it's called merne alangkwe. The flowers are known as merne ulkantyerrknge, and the main part of the plant is merne altyeye. The word merne means "plant food." In the Karrajari, Nyulnyul, and Yawuru languages, it's called 'Magabala'.
The bush banana fruit can be eaten when it's small or when it's fully grown. The small fruits are called amwerterrpe. Even the names of places like Kalgoorlie and Karlkurla (one of its suburbs) come from a Wangai word that means "place of the silky pears."
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Eating the Bush Banana
Indigenous communities in the desert still eat all parts of the bush banana plant today. It is a valuable food source.
Different Parts to Eat
The flowers of the bush banana hang in bunches. You can eat them raw. Some people even suck the sweet nectar from the flowers. They might also use the flowers to make their food look pretty.
The main part of the plant, called altyeye in Arrernte, can also be eaten raw.
How to Prepare It
Bush bananas are often cooked in hot earth next to a fire. If they are young, you can eat them raw. People say the taste is similar to fresh peas or zucchini.
The root of the plant is called Merne atnetye. You can eat the root raw or cooked. The very white roots are usually cooked in the hot earth near the fire. Young leaves from the plant can also be used in salads.
Cultural Importance
The bush banana is a very important traditional food for Aboriginal people. Because it is so important, you will often see it in Aboriginal art today. Many paintings show 'bush tucker' foods, and some even tell stories about 'Bush Banana Dreaming'.
See also
In Spanish: Marsdenia australis para niños
