Scientific Name: Alphitonia Excelsa
Common Name: Foam Bark / Red Ash
Moreton Bay Islands Tribes Name: Meeamee (Watkins, 1891)
Indigenous Use
Young leaf tips chewed for upset stomach. A decoction of bark and roots rubbed on the body as liniment for muscular pains or used as a gargle to relieve toothache. High saponin content used as a soap. Leaves were used as an application for sore eyes and for headache. The crushed leaves and sometimes the crushed berries were also used to poison fish. Leaves or underground roots used to apply to bites and stings of snakes, stingrays and insects.
When to Use
The leaves, bark, and roots are available for use all year. The fruit ripens late Summer to Autumn.
Identification
Leaves: The leaves of alphitonia excelsa are simple, alternate, and have a glossy green upper surface with a paler, often silvery underside. They are typically 6-15 cm long and 2-5 cm wide. The leaves have a slightly serrated margin and a prominent central vein (Atlas of Living Australia, 2023; Australian National Botanic Gardens, 2024).
Bark: The bark is grey to dark brown and becomes rough and deeply fissured with age. When cut, the bark exudes a distinctive, unpleasant smell (Atlas of Living Australia, 2023).
Flowers: The flowers are small, white to cream, and star-shaped. They are grouped in clusters at the ends of branches and appear in late winter to early spring (Australian National Botanic Gardens, 2024).
Fruit: The fruit is a small, globular, black drupe about 1 cm in diameter. It contains a single hard seed and ripens in late summer to autumn (Atlas of Living Australia, 2023).
Ecosystems
Found in the below ecosystem/s.
Eucalyptus forests: Eucalyptus forests are characterised by their dominant eucalyptus tree species, thriving in a variety of soil types and pH levels, usually ranging from 4.5 to 7. These forests support a diverse understory of shrubs, grasses, and ground covers, and are adapted to periodic fires which help in seed germination and pest control. Common plants found in eucalyptus forests include wattles, grevilleas, and native grasses. These ecosystems are prominent in areas such as Lamington National Park, the Glass House Mountains, and D’Aguilar National Park.
References
Atlas of Living Australia (ALA), 2023. Alphitonia excelsa (Red Ash). [online] Available at: https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://id.biodiversity.org.au/node/apni/2890972 [Accessed 8 June 2024].
Australian National Botanic Gardens (ANBG), 2024. Alphitonia excelsa (Red Ash). [online] Available at: https://www.anbg.gov.au/gnp/gnp12/alphitonia-excelsa.html [Accessed 8 June 2024].
Cribb A.B. and J.W., Wild Food in Australia. Collins, Sydney, 1974
Isaacs, J. (2019). Bush food : Aboriginal food and herbal medicine. Australia: New Holland Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd.
Levitt, Duclie, Plants and People: Aboiriginal Used of Plants on Groote Eylandt. Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, Canberra. 1981
Leiper, G., Glazebrook, J., Cox, D., & Rathie, K., 2008. Mountain to Mangroves: A Field Guide to the Native Plants of South-east Queensland. Logan River Branch, Society for Growing Australian Plants.
Watkins, G., ‘Notes on the Aboriginals of Stradbroke Island and Moreton Islands’, Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland, 8 (1891), 40-50.