Scientific Name: Araucaria Bidwillii
Common Name: Bunya Pine
Turrbal Name: Bu’nyi (Watson 1944) / Bon’yee (Ridley 1887)
Kabi Kabi Name: Bun’yi (Watson 1944)
Dungidau Name: Ba’nji (Winterbotham)
Indigenous Use
Young green seed kernal when eaten raw is described to be juicy and delicious. When seed kernals were more mature they were cracked with a stone, pounded and roasted (baked like a cake). Seeds were also buried in mud in a large cane basket 90cm deep and left to germinate for 2-3 months and then eaten.
Colonial Use
Timber used for floors, walls, roof framing and furniture. Nuts were eaten.
When to Use
The cones ripen and fall to the ground in late summer to autumn (Atlas of Living Australia, 2023).
Identification
Leaves: The leaves of Araucaria bidwillii are dark green, stiff, and pointed. They are arranged spirally around the branches and are typically 2-5 cm long. The leaves have a sharp tip and are quite tough to the touch (Atlas of Living Australia, 2023; Australian National Botanic Gardens, 2024).
Bark: The bark is dark brown to grey and deeply furrowed, forming irregular, vertical ridges. It has a rough and rugged texture, making it easily recognizable (Australian National Botanic Gardens, 2024).
Cones: The female cones are large, spherical, and can weigh up to 10 kg. They contain numerous edible seeds known as bunya nuts. (Atlas of Living Australia, 2023).
Nuts: The seeds, or bunya nuts, are large, about 3-4 cm long, and enclosed in a tough, woody shell (Atlas of Living Australia, 2023).
Ecosystems
Found in the below ecosystem/s.
Rainforests: Sub-tropical rainforests usually consist of three strata of trees with up to 60 species making up the canopy, many with large leaves. Palms and strangler figs are common and the undergrowth Is luxuriant with mayn epiphytic or terrestrial ferns and orchids and abundant large climbers of many species. In Queensland, rainforests can be found in well-known locations like the Daintree Rainforest, Lamington National Park, and Mary Caincross Park.
References
Atlas of Living Australia (ALA), 2023. Araucaria bidwillii (Bunya Pine). [online] Available at: https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://id.biodiversity.org.au/node/apni/2901210 [Accessed 8 June 2024].
Cribb A.B. and J.W., Wild Food in Australia. Collins, Sydney, 1974
Leiper, Glen, Muteroo: Plant use by Australian Aboriginal People. Eagleby South State School, Brisbane
Petrie, Constance, Tom Petrie’s Reminiscences of Early Queensland. Angus and Robertson, 1975, (facsmile of 1904 edition)
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.
Ridley, Rev William, North Side of Moreton Bay IN The Australian Race ed. E.M. Curr Government Printer, Melbourne 1887
Watson, F.J., Vocabularies of Four Representative Tribes of South Eastern Queensland. Supplement to the Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia. (Queensland), No 34 Vol XLVIII Brisbane
Winterbotham papers (Anthropology Museum, University of Queensland)