Jam from Djuk?, not hassle free. And herbivore turns carnivore?
Day 34 Exocarpos sparteus , a plant a day , Lowlands Reserve, 27 November 2020
Growing above Healing Beach, this bush tucker plant, Exocarpos sparteus, known to the Noongar people as Djuk, was in fruit today. Also known as broom ballart and native cherry.
Noongar people showed the Djuk plant to Ethel Hassell in the 1880s. Ethel Hassell describes making jam from the tiny fruits , which are about the size of a grape seed “… The result was like clear red currant jelly in flavour and appearance. ….Biting a chuck (Djuk) seed is just like biting a grape seed — it has a sharp, bitter flavour. The fruit is sub-acid — very like a currant. The women collected lots of this fruit for the trees bear very freely. The women’s collection method was to spread their boorks (kangaroo skin cloaks) under the tree and shake the tree well. They gathered around, ate what they wanted and took the rest back to camp.”
The Noongar women’s practice of eating the fruit in the present moment would be a lot less labour intensive than making jam! The 28s like the fruits too. The djuk shrub is a hemiparasite, it steals water and nutrients from nearby plants with its cutting haustoria latching onto to the roots of neighbouring plants. Good strategy in our nutrient poor soil, be a thief. It is quite a noticeable shrub, being a light shade of limey yellow green. Don’t eat the fruits, leave them for the birds.
Today I noticed the long antennas of a beetle on the djuk shrub. The beetle appeared to be clumsily stalking and then eating (?) a tiny ant, I’m not sure though, most beetles are herbivores, so maybe the tiny ant just got in the way of the beetle munching the tasty plant tips. I was surprised at how ungraceful the beetle seemed — maybe its arthritic given its long and heavily swollen femurs, maybe it once broke its femur like I did 2 years ago…
Hunting around to attempt to ID the beetle in my usual haphazard method, I found these photos:
Writing this daily blog featuring a plant a day and walking daily is my fundraising effort for Bush Heritage #groundworkchallenge . To join my team or donate go to https://www.groundworkchallenge.org.au/fundraisers/sheilamurray/2020?fbclid=IwAR2HbNn0YsCCc3tiSK-_lbF5xLsssaD8wjGHaUwVYrRqYxM-kdJkijoj2N0
Lowlands Coastal Reserve is on Menang Boodja — country. I celebrate the strength, resilience and capacity of the Menang Noongar people who are the traditional owners of the land.
Lowlands Coastal Reserve is managed by the local community and the City of Albany. Bush Heritage Australia manage many other wonderful reserves.
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