Edible and Useful plants for the Swan Coastal Plain by Vicki Boxell.

Acacia
Acacia species
MIMOSACEAE
Form: Short-lived, evergreen leguminous trees and shrubs. Most acacia's have yellow flowers from pale to bright yellow and are generally prolific seed producers.
Tolerances: Full sun. Tolerate many soil types as species vary widely.
*The pollen of some species may cause hay fever*
Uses: Nitrogen-fixing bacteria in nodules on the roots improve the soil.
Can be coppiced to make timber or firewood and mulch. Great shade tree or windbreak. Pioneer plant or nurse crop.
Some species have edible seeds and leaves can be used for animal fodder.
Acacia species have been used to revegetate bushland in other countries and have become invasive. Check with local nurseries to make sure you don’t use invasive species.

A. saligna (golden wreath - or summer scented - wattle)
Form: One of the fastest growing trees in WA; it can grow a metre or more in a year.

This short-lived large shrub or small tree grows to 5 metres. It has yellow flowers in spring followed by bunches of brown pods
Seeds are able to remain dormant for a hundred years.
Tolerances: Local WA species. This salt-wind and drought tolerant grows on all soil types. Can be pruned lots with few ill effects.
Uses: Dune species. Erosion control. Windbreak. Fast growing pioneer and nurse tree, which provides lots of mulch and shade. The sticks are good for burning.

A. aneura (mulga)
Form: Evergreen, leguminous tree to 7 metres. Long yellow flower heads in spring.
Tolerances: Frost and drought tolerant. Seed germinates quickly, at a preferred temperature of 28 degrees C, during spring or summer.
Uses: This is the most commonly utilized acacia. The ripe seeds can be ground and eaten raw or cooked.
It is also a good garden species, especially for arid regions.
The hard heartwood is used for implements and souvenirs.

A. cyclops (red eye wattle)
Form: Domed shrub or small tree to 7 metres in sheltered areas, smaller where wind-pruned.
Tolerances: Hardy local West Australian coastal species; tolerant of salt-laden and sandy winds.
Uses: This dune species provides good erosion control. It provides front line protection from coastal conditions and is able to grow in sandy and limestone areas, providing shelter and food for local bird and insect species.

A. coriacea (wiry wattle): Frost and drought tolerant leguminous tree to 8 metres. The relatively large seeds can be eaten raw when green or lightly roasted when black. They can also be ground into a paste and cooked like flour.

Acerola/ Barbados cherry
Malphigia glabra
MALPHIGIACEAE
Form: Attractive semi-evergreen or deciduous shrub to 2 metres with dark glossy leaves. It usually fruits after 4 years. The cherry-like fruit are 1.25 - 2.5 cm in diameter, turning from crimson to almost black when ripe. The flesh is juicy, soft and sweet.
The leaves and petioles have tiny stinging hairs, which may cause irritation to sensitive individuals.
May be susceptible to root knot nematodes in sandy soil; use plenty of organic matter to create healthy soil to prevent this.
Tolerances: A tough and versatile plant that will grow in almost any well-drained soil. Responds well to mulching as they have a shallow root system.

They are moderately salt spray and drought tolerant once established.
Young trees should occasionally be watered deeply, though once older should only need a drink during very dry times. Frost hardy to -2 degrees C.
Uses: The fruit are high in ascorbic acid and can be eaten fresh, dried or made into drinks. Acerola is a hardy pioneer plant, which also makes a good fruiting forage hedge for birds and animals. The juice can be used as a gargle for sore throats.
The bark contains lots of tannin for dying.

Agave
Agave species
AGAVACEAE
Form: There are many kinds of agave. They are long-living, rosette-forming succulent plants; some have sharp spines on the tips of the leaves. Most agaves flower only once and produce a very tall flower spike before dying. However, since they grow in clumps and reproduce by suckers there are usually others to replace them.

Tolerances: They are very drought tolerant and must have well-drained soil in full sun. They grow anywhere except frost-prone or waterlogged areas.
Propagation: Offsets from the base of the plant root easily.
Uses: Physical barrier against animals or people. Being succulent makes it fire retardant. Very hardy container plant. A musical drum can be made from the large tuber at the base.
***Sap is toxic, and causes burning sensation on bare skin. Keep well covered if cutting these plants. Vinegar stops the burning sensation. ***

Ajuga repens
Bugle flower
LAMIACEAE
Form: Creeping herb to 15 cm high. It has purplish-green shiny leaves and small spikes of purple flowers similar to lavender.
Tolerances: Will grow in sun or shade and in any soil, but needs regular water.
Propagate by division in spring.
Uses: Forms a flat mat for garden paths or sitting on. Purple flowers are attractive to beneficial insects. A tea from the leaves is said to cure hangovers.

Albizia species
FABACEAE
Albizia lophanthe syn. Paraserianthes lophanthe (Cape wattle).
Form: This fast growing evergreen tree to 7 metres is short-lived. The fine leaves are Tolerances: Water well to establish. Warm temperate to tropical climate. Prefers low-lying, sheltered areas. Drought sensitive.
Uses: Great pioneer tree and fast growing over storey. Fixes nitrogen from the air into the soil.
Good amount of leaf drop, which being in small pieces, is not highly flammable and quickly breaks down, improving the soil.
Provides fodder and seed for animals and birds. Sometimes attracts aphids, which attract ladybirds (aphids' archenemy). The ladybirds quickly multiply in numbers to reduce the aphids.

Albizia julibrissin (silk tree)
Form: Attractive, short-lived, deciduous tree to 13 metres with pale pink, bottlebrush style flowers.
Tolerances: Wide soil range. Full sun. Frost tolerant. Seeds germinate best at 27 degrees C in spring or summer.
Uses: This fast growing, leguminous tree is ornamental and provides quick shade. Bird-attracting.

Alder
Alnus spp
BETULACEAE
Form: Fast growing, short-lived trees, which form dense thickets. These are mostly deciduous species from 10 - 25 metres tall.
Tolerances: Medium to heavy damp soils. Provide a protected shady position. Drought tender.
Uses: These trees have root bacteria called Schinzia alni. This enables them to fix nitrogen in the soil even though they are not leguminous. This quality can be used to improve pasture soil, increase fodder production and provide shelter. This also makes them a good nurse tree, protecting young, longer living species.
Clippings and leaf drop make good rough mulch and compost.

These trees coppice readily and although the wood may burn too hot for fires the timber has many uses from tool handles and veneers to coffins, charcoal and pulp, depending on the species. Shade.

Alnus glutinosa (common or black alder) may be of use planted around salty wet areas where the water table has risen in agriculturally damaged areas. It also provides forage for cows, sheep, goats and horses.

Almond
Prunus amygdalis, P. dulcis
ROSACEAE
Form: Long-living deciduous tree to 5 metres with a spreading habit. Two trees are needed to pollinate and these should be planted closely together. There are also 'All-in-one‚' grafted almonds available, which will self-fertilise. The All-in-One variety is also smaller and more suitable for urban situations.

Luther Burbank method of seed germination - rapid method.
Put fresh nuts in the freezer for two weeks.
Plant in warm, damp sand at 26 degrees C, or place in jars of water in airy cupboard (with stable temperature about 16 degrees C) and replace the water with warm water every two days until sprouting occurs.
Pot on and grow until large enough to bud at about 3 months.

Tolerances: Hardy once established. Flowers can be damaged by late frosts. Needs good soil drainage in winter. Tolerates long, hot, dry summers.
Uses: Nuts crop late January-April. The masses of white flowers are an early sign of spring. The nut forms as a kernel inside a downy shell. Soft or paper shell types are best for the home garden.

Harvest when the nuts are fully open, between late summer and late autumn. Collect them by shaking from the tree to avoid worms that may get into them on the ground. Dry in the sun for a few days before storing.
Almonds are very good food when feeling ill, helping to soothe an upset stomach.
Almond 'milk‚' is a wholesome, rejuvenating and strengthening convalescents' brew. It is made by soaking whole almonds in water, removing the skin, blending in a food processor or mortar and pestle with pure water and straining through a cloth. Add some honey and drink.
Almonds are rich in zinc, magnesium, potassium and iron, some B vitamins, protein (20%) and fat. These minerals will be absorbed more efficiently by eating them with a vitamin C rich food.

Aloe vera
Aloe barbadensis
LILIACEAE
Form: Perennial, clumping succulent. The leaves are pointed, long and fleshy with slightly wavy edges. The flower spike of orange flowers is produced from the centre.
Tolerances: Aloes need very good drainage and are very drought tolerant. Do not overwater as it is easy to kill them. Likes bright, but not direct light.
Propagated by offsets.
Uses: Medicinal uses, mainly to treat burns and skin complaints. Only the clear gel from the centre of the leaf has medicinal qualities; the green gel near the skin undoes its good work.

Fire resistant plant.

Alyssum
Lobularia maritima
BRASSICACEAE
Form: Annual soft ground cover to 15 cm. It forms low green mounds with umbels of tiny white or purple flowers most of the year.
Tolerances: Needs water to establish, but tends to selfseed wherever it can. Drought tolerant.
Uses: Alyssum attracts beneficial insects. It is a colourful border plant, which self-seeds easily. Pioneer. Edible peppery leaves and flowers, which are great in salads.

Amaranth
Amaranthus hypochodriachus
AMARANTHACEAE
Form: Annual to about 60 cm high by 30 - 40 cm wide. Pinch out laterals for a better crop. The long, maroon seed heads droop from the weight of the tiny black seeds. Leaves may be green through to red.
Tolerances: Tropical/subtropical. Prefer 22 – 30 degrees C with high humidity. Grows best in a sunny sheltered position in moderately deep, well-drained soil.
pH 5.5 - 7. Medium to high nitrogen needs. Give frequent liquid manure. It is a fairly drought, heat and pest resistant species, which doesn't mind poor soil and doesn't need irrigation.
Pests and diseases: powdery mildew, caterpillars, aphids, thrips and damping off.
Propagation: Sow in spring, while the ground warms. Protect young seedlings. Broadcast seed can last five years in the open. Wind pollination occurs within 400 metres. Choose best plants for seeds and remove lesser quality plants before fully mature. Bag seeds or cut head off whole.
Uses: Leaves and immature buds eaten are as spinach. Harvest 8-10 weeks after sowing.
Cut young shoots to 10 cm tall when plants reach 25 cm tall. The plant will continue to grow. These showy plants are potentially weedy as they produce so much seed.

Grain amaranth (A. cruentus): usually has white seeds and takes between 3 and 4 months to mature; seeds are popped for eating.

Leaf amaranth (A. tricolour): rich in calcium, iron, carotenoid pigments and lysine, which is a good milk replacement. Also produces small, black, shiny seeds, which are edible. Often sold in ornamental nurseries.

Tampala: NZ small leaf form.

Strawberry spinach (A. blitum): Annual to 45 cm. Frost tolerant. Propagate from seed anytime the temperature is 21 degrees C or above. Sweet strawberry-like fruit grow in the leaf-axils. Foliage can be used as a potherb and in salads.

Peel stems tall varieties before cooking. Dried leaves make mealie porridge.
All amaranths have edible leaves, though they contain alkaloids and should not be eaten in excess, especially by those prone to acidity, such as rheumatism or gout sufferers.

Angelica
Angelica archangelica
APIACEAE
Form: A biennial or perennial herb with upright stems to 1.5 - 2 metres. It has large creamy lime-coloured flowers have a sweet fragrance.
Tolerances: Likes ample moisture in a shady place in sandy soils.
Propagate: Direct seed in spring, when the ground is 25 degrees C. Needs light to aid germination.
Uses: Striking ornamental plant. The stalks can be candied and used to decorate cakes. Flowers attract beneficial insects.
Appetite stimulant. Expectorant. Tea prevents flatulence.
TOO MUCH CAN BE HARMFUL!

Anise
Pimpinella anisum
APIACEAE
Form: Dainty – leaved, annual herb to 45 cm. Aromatic foliage. It has umbels of white flowers in summer. The seeds are used in cooking.
Tolerances: Native to Egypt. Likes an open position and grows on light dry soil. This herb is drought resistant but cold sensitive.
Sow seed in spring when temperatures reach 25 degrees C.
Uses: Culinary herb; the seeds are used largely to flavour fish or cabbage recipes. All parts of the plant are edible. The leaves dry well for later use.
Digestive properties.

Apple
Malus sylvestris
ROSACEAE
Form: Deciduous fruit tree to 4 metres with a smooth grey trunk. The bright green leathery leaves are slightly furry beneath and white flowers, with a pink blush appear in spring.
Tolerances: Sunny location in meadows or on hillsides. Likes deep soil with good drainage. Slightly drought tolerant once established though fruiting will be reduced. Frost resistant.
Companion plants/orchard underplant: Bulbs, garlic, chives, clovers, comfrey, horsetail and alfalfa will help apple trees thrive.
Uses: Fruit - fresh, dried, preserved or stewed. Different varieties are good for different uses, such as pies, sauces or fresh.
They contain pectin and vitamin C, which helps keep cholesterol levels low. Pectin gives us protection against air pollution, binding with heavy metals and forcing them to leave the body.
Fresh grated apple helps to settle a nauseous stomach.

Apricot
Prunus amygdalis, P. armenica
ROSACEAE
Form: Deciduous, self-fertile fruit tree to 3 or 4 metres. The leaves are roundish. Apricots have an extensive root system.
Tolerances: Needs deep soil for the deep root system. Hot dry weather is ideal for best, disease free ripening; apricots prefer inland climates rather than humid coastal ones. The best fruit is produced in areas with no frosts.
Companion plants: Underplant apricot trees with horsetail, chives, garlic, lucerne/alfalfa and comfrey.
Uses: Harvest from November to January. Eat them fresh, dried or made into jam. Early varieties (eg Glengarry or Newcastle Early) are less susceptible to fruit fly, which won't have started breeding yet.

Aquatic Plants

Generally, water plants grow fast due to the availability of water and nutrients. These plants can easily become environmental weeds, so care must be taken they do not get in waterways - check with local authorities as many water plants are already declared pests.

Floating:
These provide shelter for fish.
eg Azolla, duckweed.

Submerged Oxygenators:
Myriophyllum (parrot's feather), Sagittaria (arrowhead), Vallisnaria (eelgrass or ribbon weed).

Edibles:
Water chestnuts, kangkong, watercress, Lebanese cress, taro, arrowhead, Chinese sacred lotus (Nelumbo), water poppy (Hydroclais nymphoides), Water iris, water snowflake (Limnathenum indicum) and nardoo (Marselia spp)

Marginals: These are semi-terrestrial and include:
Cyperus papyrus, taro, elephant-ears, Lebanese cress, dwarf bamboo and nardoo.

Arctotheca species
ASTERACEAE
A. calendula (cape weed): Toothed, lobed downy leaves commonly seen in lawns. They have large daisy-like flowers, from spring through summer, borne from the centre of the rosette. It has one yellow flower per stem, followed by fluffy seed heads .
Tolerances: South African native plants that are fairly drought tolerant self-seeders.
Uses: As a mulch plant it provides green material for composting. This could be a lawn replacement species for non-grass lawns.
Taints the flavour of cow's milk so is disliked by dairy farmers as a paddock weed.

A. populifolia: (local species): This perennial sand dune plant is a low ground cover to about 15 cm. Leaves are elliptical, dense, white and felty, forming a rosette.
It has prostate stems that get covered with sand and help bind the dunes in place.

Arctotis x hybrida
African daisy
ASTERACEAE
Form: Groundcover plant, with trailing stems and thick semi-succulent leaves, which may be deeply lobed. Many coloured hybrids from red and pale pink to white.
Tolerances: Full sun and well-drained sandy soil. Slightly frost hardy. Give them plenty of space to expand.
Propagates readily from cuttings at most times of year.
Uses: Tough groundcover and bedding plant with pretty flowers. Remove spent flowers in garden situations for prolonged flowering.
This living mulch plant covers bare dry banks fairly rapidly.

Arnica
Arnica montana
ASTERACEAE
Form: Perennial plant to 60 cm, which dies down in winter. It forms a basal rosette from which rises a purple daisy with an enlarged centre.
Tolerances: An alpine plant from Europe and North America. It prefers loamy soil in a cool, moist place but will grow in enriched, sandy soil.
Propagate in seed trays in spring through to autumn. Germination may take up to 25 days.
Uses: Tinctures and ointments made from the flowers and rootstock are used medicinally for bruising and external soreness; it should never be applied to open skin.

Arrowroot
Canna edulis
CANNACEAE
Form: Rhizomatous pond plant with strong upright stems and long heart-shaped leaves. Leaves and stems are green to purple or dark shades of red. Tubers grow underground.
Tolerances: Pond and swamp plant, which will spread rapidly in the right conditions.
Uses: All parts of the plant are edible.
The leaves can be used to wrap food.
Starchy tuber must be prepared before use.

Repeated soaking and rinsing is necessary to remove toxins. The tuber is then ground up and used as flour.

Arthritis plant: see Gotu kola

Artichoke, Globe
Cynara scolymus
ASTERACEAE
Form: Short-lived perennial, 2 metres x 1 metre wide. This striking ornamental plant has long grey upright leaves with jagged edges.
The edible thistle bud pokes out the top of the plant. These are produced throughout late spring and summer. If left unpicked the artichoke bud flowers open. They are purple and spiky and eventually form seeds.
Tolerances: They enjoy fairly hot seaside conditions, but will benefit from some shade in really hot areas.
They are sensitive to humidity and may rot with too much summer moisture. Give them room for good air circulation.
If they are being grown away from the ocean, a little salt should be applied to help them grow.
Propagation and seed saving: Start with good seed and breed by growing the largest and best offsets from the base after flowering. The offsets can be planted away from the plant to produce many more new artichokes.
Leave only the best and largest flower heads with the widest base to set seed.
When all the thistle fluff has blown away, the seeds can be collected from the very prickly calyx. Seeds should last 5 years if kept well sealed in an airtight container.
Uses: Delicious, edible flower buds are eaten steamed. Avoid cooking in aluminium as they contain alkaloids, which will react with the metal and cause ingestion of aluminium.
Artichoke hearts can also be preserved in oil.
Plant small lettuces and other shallow rooted plants beneath the upright leaves to use the space.

Artichoke, Jerusalem
Helianthus tuberosus
ASTERACEAE
Form: Upright annual to 3 metres. They look similar to sunflowers but with smaller flowers. They also have root exudates, like sunflowers, which can reduce the growth of nearby plants.

Removal of flower buds increases the size of the edible tubers.
Tolerances: These will grow in most conditions. Water and feed moderately. Grow in full sun. A cold snap may kill the tops of the plants, but leave the tubers okay below.
They become invasive in some areas, so think carefully about where you want them to be in case they take off! There is the potential for each piece to grow, so any that don't get harvested can make a new plant.
I heard of one person who grew them in an old wooden boat in their backyard to keep them under control.
Uses: Edible tubers may be harvested as needed 3-5 months after planting. Some folk have trouble digesting them; peeling and slicing the roots, and then boiling them in water for 10-15 minutes with some lemon juice to keep them crispy, can improve this. These slices can be fried, marinated, pickled, dried, barbequed, roasted, deep-fried or pureed for soup or mash.
Makes a good mulch crop. Provides a fast-growing screen, windbreak or shade for summer gardens.

Asparagus
Asparagus officinalis
LILIACEAE
Form: Multi-crowned, long-living rhizomatous perennial. The flowering stems reach a metre or more.
Asparagus is dioecious (male or female, not both sexes on one plant). Male produces yellowish-green bells and the females have inconspicuous flowers. Bright red berries containing black seed follow the flowers.
Male plants make spears earlier and more often as they don't seed; female spears are thicker and more tender.
Tolerances: A Mediterranean climate plant that likes coastal and windy conditions. If situated away from the coast, up to 30 grams of salt should be supplied annually.

Naturalizes along sandy watercourses and stabilizes banks.
Plant crowns into furrows about 40 cm deep, and cover well with good compost or old rotted down manure.
Manure deeply in autumn when fronds have turned brown.
Do not pick for the first two or three years after planting.
Asparagus is insect-pollinated. Bees may cause cross-pollination of different asparagus varieties.

Saving the seed: Get seed from the most vigorous female plants with at least one male nearby. Select for desired characteristics. Female have scarlet berries in autumn. The ripe fleshy berries have 6 or so black seeds each. The berries should be picked, crushed, washed and dried in the shade. Seeds last three to five years.
Propagation: Takes three years to production from seed, longer to establish a strong patch. Transplant the strongest one-year-old seedlings.
Division of three-year-old crowns provides planting material: Lift clump and disentangle roots. Trim roots to 15 cm. These still need to grow for a couple of years before picking.

Uses: Edible shoots are eaten young and raw (for maximum nutrient value), or steam upright in bundles if using older stems. Tasty sliced and cooked in stir-fries.
Blanch stems by piling up dirt and/or mulch around them and then cutting deep down when harvesting.
Don't cook asparagus in aluminium pans (aluminium cooking pots should be avoided anyway). Also avoid it if you have inflamed kidneys or rheumatoid arthritis
Medicinally used to stimulate 'lazy' intestines (with high fibre content). Increases urine flow, perspiration and kidney cell production. Is also said to increase the libido!
Birds have been known to spread this plant into bushland.

Aubergine: see Eggplant

Avocado
Persea americanana
LAURACEAE
Form: Large, evergreen tree to 10 metres (seedling trees) or less if they are grafted (these may be wider). The large, shiny, soft ovoid leaves grow to 15 cm. Creamy-white flowers appear in clusters followed by fruit, which hang down and can remain on the tree until you are ready to pick them. They take a week or two to fully ripen once picked.
The feeder roots are in the top 40 centimetres or so, and need to be kept moist, but not soggy, so the tree doesn't get stressed and drop its flowers and fruit.
Avocados prefer an acid soil, which in our sands means applying lots of organic matter, a deep mulch layer and a little sulphur sprinkled on once in a while.
Grafted varieties will fruit in only four years from planting, while seedlings can take seven years or more.

Tolerances: Subtropical to tropical. Some can tolerate cool periods if planted in a warm spot, but they will not tolerate frosts. You need to provide constant summer moisture for flowers to set properly. Tolerates shady conditions as a youngster. Avocados must have perfect drainage, as they are susceptible to Phytophthora root rots.
Protection must be provided from salty winds near the coast. Young trees can be badly affected by sunburn or tip-burn and leaf edges dying, due to hot drying winds, salinity and water stress. A nurse tree or shade cloth can be used for shelter while it is young.
These trees require lots of nitrogenous material, such as regular feeding of compost or pigeon manure. This is especially true in limestone areas, where they often look a bit pale. Regularly applying watered down urine will help keep them green.
The ideal temperature for fruit set is between 20 – 25 degrees C. Above 30 or below 15 degrees C can make for unreliable fruit setting as can irregular watering. Some trees can be prone to anthracnose, which damages the flowers when they appear and causes black marks and cracking on the fruit as it matures.
Companion plants: tagasaste, Acacia pulchella, garlic.
Uses: Large fruit tree. Planting different varieties makes it possible to have avocadoes almost all year round, ie an early type (eg Fuerte), a mid-season type (eg Sharwill) and a late cropper (eg Hass). Avocado trees produce fruit over a long season and are great productive shade trees.

Avocadoes flowers have both male and female parts and to get around the problem of self-pollinating it has developed A + B flowering.
For best results it is good to grow an A and a B type for better fruit production.

VARIETIES

'A' Flowering Types:
*Edranol: an upright tree, and vigorous heavy cropper. The fruit are medium sized and pear shaped; it has green skin and pale yellow flesh with a small seed. Excellent flavour.
*Hass: the most popular variety. Pear to ovoid shape fruit; the rough leathery skin is purplish-black when ripe. Keeps well. This heavy bearing tree begins cropping in its second year.
*Pinkerton: Medium sized fruit with pliable leathery skin. Flesh is smoothly textured, with a small seed. Tree has some cold tolerance. Early to mid season variety.
*Reed: large round fruit with rough, thick, black skin; produced from autumn to midwinter.

'B' Flowering Types:
*Fuerte: Pear shaped, small to medium sized fruit with slightly rough, thin, green skin, a buttery texture and excellent flavour. A vigorous spreading tree which fruits in alternate years. It has some tolerance to cold. It may be prone to anthracnose.
*Sharwill: A large spreading tree that is frost sensitive and best grown in the subtropics. It is a regular but moderate bearer of richly flavoured fruit with rough, thin green skin and a small seed. Crops mid-season.
*Wurtz: Good quality pear shaped fruit with a thickish green skin and a small seed. Slow growing tree to only 4 metres at maturity, with a weeping habit. Moderate but regular bearer, which bears biennially with age.

Azolla
Azolla filiculoides
SALVINIACEAE
Form: Nitrogen-fixing floating fern. It has associative bacteria that help it collect nitrogen from the air. Azolla can multiply rapidly and choke the surface of watercourses and ponds, disturbing local ecosystems.
It needs to be regularly removed from the ponds surface. Azolla should only be used for ponds that cannot overflow into river systems.
Tolerances: Needs water to grow and multiply. Can survive a dry season as spores.
Uses: Fixes nitrogen from the atmosphere. Provides duck and fish food. Used as a companion plant in rice paddies in Vietnam where it provides nitrogen to the growing crop. Can be used as mulch. It has similar qualities to peat moss when dried. It covers the waters' surface, preventing algal growth and mosquitoes.

Bamboo
Bambusa, Phyllostachys etc
POACEAE

There are two basic kinds of bamboo - monopodial (running) and sympodial (clumping).
*Monopodial species can spread themselves a long way by sending runners below ground. They are more cold tolerant.
*Sympodial species stay in clumps. Some make very large clumps, but remain in that clump.

Phyllostachys species are vigorous running bamboos (monopodial) that can colonize large areas if not controlled or harvested regularly. They should only be planted on islands in a dam, or surrounded by a ring of trees to keep it in one area.

Phyllostachys rubromarginata:
Form: 16 metres tall, with culms 7 cm across. Long slender purplish culms with fine red hairs on the culm leaves.
It is one of the most invasive of the running bamboos. Plant it only with extreme forethought!
Or grow in a large container on cement with only one drain hole that you can see to make sure it's not escaping.
Tolerances: Tolerates cold, dry winds. Full sun. Cold hardy.
Uses: Good for building bridges and houses, musical instruments, agricultural tools and utensils, but not for weaving.
Edible shoots.

Bambusa species: these are clumping type bamboos (sympodial), which form a fairly confined clump, and are useful in gardens as screening plants. Many have edible shoots, some of which need soaking to reduce bitterness and toxins. Not all bamboo shoots are good to eat.

Bambusa balcoa: One of the largest clumping bamboos, it spreads into large clumps that become unruly if untended. Broadly arching dark green culms to 20 metres high with culm thickness of 15 cm. Used for scaffolding.

B. lako (black Timorese bamboo): Beautiful upright bamboo to 15 metres, with culms that blacken with age. Used for furniture.

B. multiplex (B. glaucescens): To 8 metres, by 4 - 9 cm thick. Clumping variety. Great screen plant and has many uses for handicrafts.

B. oldhamii (Oldham's bamboo): This large bamboo species from south China is one of the strongest and most useful bamboos. It is up to 18 metres tall with 10 cm culm thickness and produces edible shoots.

B. vulgaris cv vittata (painted bamboo): Ornamental yellow and green striped culms, to 16 metres high by 8 cm thick.

Dendrocalamus stricta (male bamboo): Large clumping bamboo with upright culms. It is quite drought tolerant.
Used for paper pulp in India. The culms are solid towards the base.

Otatea acuminata spp aztecorum (Mexican weeping bamboo)
Fine leaved clumping bamboo with thin, arching culms to 6 metres. Tolerates semi-shade with a minimum temperature to – 6 degrees C. Highly ornamental low-growing bamboo. There is a small and a tall variety.

Banana
Musa spp
MUSACEAE
Form: Fast growing, clump-forming herbaceous perennial. The flowers begin in mid summer to autumn. Fruit take quite a while to mature if temperatures are not high enough.
Tolerances: Prefer deep rich soil, with high nutrient levels and ample moisture. Feed regularly. Protect from strong winds.
Fruit may need protection from wildlife, depending where you live.
Removal of old leaves reduces pest and fungal problems and prevents stem rot.
Propagate from suckers. Choose the short squat suckers rather than the skinny leafy ones, which are less likely to fruit.
Uses: The fruit can be used fresh, dried, or cooked.

Leaves are used to wrap food for cooking, storage and transport, or as plates.
Bananas are an ideal plant to use around an outdoor shower or grey water run-off area as they provide shade and use lots of water.

Banksia
Banksia species
PROTEACEAE
Form: There are many species of Banksia. They range is size from small groundcovers through to large trees. Many have spectacular flowers and thickened leaves, often with rough edges. Evergreen.
These shallow rooted plants have specially adapted proteoid roots, which absorb the tiny amounts of available phosphorous in our depleted soils. This means they are easily damaged by use of general-purpose fertilisers, which have high amounts of phosphorous.
Tolerances: Australian native species. About 75% of banksias are from Western Australia, the others are from the rest of the country.

They like light, deep soil and most need well-drained conditions.

Banksia need little water once established.
Do not use phosphoric fertilisers, including pigeon poo, or most chemical fertilisers. Use only special native mixes for Banksias and Grevilleas.
Uses: Bird attractant species. Good nectar and pollen for birds and may also feed possums and other small mammals.
It is good to plant your local species to help local fauna.

Bannah grass
Pennisetum purpureum x americanum
POACEAE
Form: Fast-growing, tall, clumping grass. A cross between elephant grass and pearl millet, it produces little or no seed. It has a broader leaf than elephant grass and is not as aggressive.

It drops a lot of leaves, which can be messy or useful, depending what you do with them.
Tolerances: Needs to be watered to establish but is fairly drought hardy after that.
Propagates easily from cuttings: with three nodes or more to a section, lay it in trenches or upright in damp soil.
Uses: Mulch and biomass plant - best to chop it up with a mulching machine of some kind and turn it into compost or mulch. Wear long sleeves when cutting it back, as there are fine hairs on the leaves that cause itching and skin irritation.
The leaves have high protein content so animals really enjoy it and will do well from eating it.
As a hedge plant it needs some maintenance near the home, but away from the house it makes a good windbreak. It is an easy to establish pioneer plant.

Barley
Hordeum vulgare
POACEAE
Form: Fast-growing annual grain to 1.2 metres. The dense, bristly flower spikes provide the grain barley.
Tolerances: Warm season annual; plant this frost and drought hardy grain around April to July. Plant seed about 2 cm deep at a rate of 4 grams per metre, for a good harvest. Optimum germinating temperature is 20 degrees C.

Barley refers neutral soil, with moderate humus content. It will also grow in cold areas.

Uses: This nutrient rich grain is rich in minerals and B-vitamins, making it good for soothing the nerves, stomach, intestines and urinary tract.
Barley water has long been a remedy for the ill or recovering patient. Simply simmer a heaped tablespoon of well-washed pot barley (it is richer than the cleaned, or pearl, barley) in half a litre of water for half an hour. Strain, cool and serve.

BARRIER and (H)EDGE PLANTS

These plants protect against wind, seed incursion and animals and provide mulch, forage and other food products.

There are many more than these few:

Small - comfrey, thyme, lemon verbena, rue, lemongrass, geranium, cherry tomatoes and chives.

Medium – blueberries (in acid soils), Coprosma, canna lilies, bannah grass, Pampas grass, Brazilian cherry (2m), feijoa (3m), sun root (Jerusalem artichoke) and wormwood.

Large - guava, Natal plum, small-leaf lilly-pilly, olive (all to 5 metres), loquat (8 metres), clumping bamboo.

Basil, Sweet
Ocimum basilicum
LAMIACEAE
Form: Sweet smelling, leafy, annual herb to 60 cm.
Tolerances: Likes warm nights and plenty of moisture. Grows best during summer.

Late spring rains on cold nights can damage the leaves, causing blotchiness and spots on the leaf.
Sow seed in spring, after coldest part of winter is over.
Uses: There are many uses for this delicious herb. It is used fresh in lots of salads and sauces. It goes well with tomato.
Pesto is a combination of very finely chopped fresh basil, pine nuts or macadamia nuts, garlic, Parmesan cheese and olive oil.
Plantings along path edges will release the scent whenever you walk past.
The aroma of fresh basil or basil oil can be used to relieve headaches. It is also an antiseptic, appetizer and carminative.
Basil can be used dried, but the flavour isn't as good.

Bay tree
Laurus nobilis
LAURACEAE
Form: Large, evergreen tree to 13 metres. Aromatic, glossy dark green leaves. Flowers in spring, when little creamy flower buds open into white, waxy blossoms.
This plant suckers from the base and makes a thicket if left untended.
Tolerances: Mediterranean. Frost tolerant. Needs summer moisture and an occasional feed.
Give an open sunny position and plenty of room. Prefers good soil, tolerates poor ones.
Uses: The leaves have culinary uses. They are used fresh or dried in soups, stews and as part of bouquet garni (which also includes parsley, marjoram and thyme).
They also provide an essential oil that is used medicinally and in perfumery. Bay leaves in clothes and books help keep moths and silverfish away. Bees love the flowers.

Bay trees can be grown in large pots.

Beans
Phaseolus and Vigna spp
FABACEAE
Form: This large and varied group contains annuals and perennials. There is a lot of variation in height, flower size and colour, and climatic needs.

*Dwarf/ Bush types (Phaseolus vulgaris): 30-50 cm.
*Climbing beans (P. multiflorus) climb to over 2 metres high with support.

Tolerances: Generally warm weather crops that need good drainage. Water and feed regularly. Tolerates most soil conditions, though they do prefer slightly alkaline soils.

Green beans freeze well; plant a 6-metre row per family.
Sow seed September to February (in Perth).

Companion plants: carrots, leeks, strawberries, potatoes, beetroot, celeriac, savoury, cucumber, nasturtiums, corn, eggplant, and marigold.

But not: onion family or gladioli.

Uses: Some types are eaten fresh with or without the shell; some are dried when fully mature, then soaked and cooked before use.

Adzuki beans/Japanese red beans (Vigna angularis): An annual bean. Tolerates drought and high temperatures. Needs 3-5 frost-free months to produce optimally.
To harvest, leave on bush to dry then store as for dried beans. Can be soaked and cooked with rice, cooked and ground into bean paste, or kept dried for use in soups and stews. Also used as a green bean when immature.

Lima/Madagascar bean (Phaseolus lunatus): Vigorously growing, short-lived perennial bean that grows up to four metres in any direction! The large green pods dry to pale brown when fully dry at which time the beans are ready to harvest for drying a bit more and storing.
Tolerances: Heat hardy once established and can cope with strong coastal winds. Produces best with some food and water, but still makes a good leafy cover without attention.
Uses: Good producer of dried beans. The young beans after shelling can be used but need cooking.
Good fast growing vine for shade and shelter.

Snake bean or Yard long bean or Asparagus pea (Vigna sesquapedalis): Tropical climbing bean that produces very long pods. The pods are best at about 30-40 cm long, but will grow to 90 cm. The plants need a trellis or similar to climb upon.
Needs a long, hot summer to produce. Will not tolerate frosts.

Beetroot
Beta vulgaris
CHENOPODIACEAE
Form: Root crop with nutritious, red veined, dark green leaves. The tops are edible and can be browsed while the beet grows on.
There are many colours and shapes of beetroot - from white non-staining types to deep-red, target-patterned flat roots.
Companion plants: bush beans, onions, dill, lettuce, celery, chamomile, cabbages, alliums and kohlrabi.

But not: climbing beans.

Tolerances: Ideally, light soils with high potash content. Prefers slightly acid conditions.
Beetroots are almost slater-proof and resistant to most other pests that eat vegetables.
Beets are good coastal food! These plants originally came from the Canary Islands and coasts, so their ancestors are quite salt tolerant. They can be grown at most times of the year with water and some shade during summer.
Uses: Edible plants that can provide leaves over a long time. Beetroot can be eaten raw (grated), steamed or pickled in vinegar and water (50/50).
A simple tasty salad is steamed sliced beetroot with yoghurt and dill dressing.

Bergamot
Monarda didyma
LAMIACEAE
Form: An herbaceous perennial from the Mint family. It has soft aromatic leaves and produces red tubular flowers in summer. It creeps low to the ground.
Tolerances: Needs moist soil and a shaded root run.
Uses: Aromatic foliage and decorative border plant.
The flowers are edible and can be used in potpourri. Bergamot tea helps induce sleep.
Attracts bees and other beneficial and predaceous insects.

Blackberries
Rubus fruticosis and hybrids
ROSACEAE
Form: Self-fertile climbing canes, covered with small thorns. Deciduous.
They can become rampant as the canes grow up then fall over, re-rooting where they hit the ground. Give them support and tie to strong stakes. Keep to a few canes in an area so they can be kept under control, as they are highly invasive to other areas.
Tolerances: Sunny or partly shaded conditions. They need fertile soil to produce abundantly.
Uses: Delicious fruit can be eaten fresh, frozen or pureed or made into jams and jellies.
Being a very prickly plant, it can be used to keep animals in or out of an area.

Goats can be used to remove it.

Black nightshade
Solanum nigrum
SOLANACEAE
Form: A 30 - 50 cm tall member of the diverse Solanaceae family. Birds eat the berries and spread the seed, making it a common roadside weed.
The species around the Perth Metro area is not the deadly European type.
Tolerances: Grows anywhere with little water. Roadside fruit may contain high levels of heavy metals, poisons, etc, so should be avoided.
Grows in shade or semi-shade.
Uses: DO NOT EAT GREEN BERRIES!!!! The ripe, black berries are edible, though not too many should be eaten at one go.

The fruit can be made into pies, jams, tarts and desserts. They aren't as tasty in dry conditions, but make lots of fruit in good conditions. The fruit is an appetite stimulant, aphrodisiac and relaxant.
Attracts birds. Useful as a cover crop, poultry food or mass compost ingredient and is a useful decoy plant to lure 28-spotted ladybirds away from potatoes.

Black sapote
Diospyros digyna
EBENACEAE
Form: Attractive tree to 18 metres tall. The glossy leaves have smooth edges and grow up to 20 cm long. It is related closely to persimmons and ebony.
Tolerances: From Mexico and Central America. Provide a moisture-retentive, well-drained soil and provide ample water during summer. If the soil dries out flowers and young fruit fall off.

Protect young plants in winter and shelter from strong winds.
Uses: Tasty fruit is dark green with dark brown to black flesh and tastes like a chocolate pudding.

Borage
Borago officinalis
BORAGINACEAE
Form: Deep-rooted, annual herb to 1 metre (in flower).
Forms an upright, basal rosette with large slightly prickly leaves. It has blue flowers over a long period from spring through summer.
Tolerances: Enjoys full sun or part shade. Prefers deep good soil, though most good light soil will do. Self seeds readily. Borage needs regular watering.
Uses: Its deep-rooted nature brings minerals up from deep in the soil, especially potassium, phosphorous and calcium. Combined with comfrey (a close relation) it makes great compost tea for feeding the garden.

Young leaves and flowers, which taste similar to cucumber, can be used in salads. The flowers can be used to decorate cakes and drinks, and flowers frozen in ice cubes look extra cool.
Borage planted near strawberries helps make a larger strawberry crop.

Tea of the leaves is a good nerve relaxant, blood purifier and anti-inflammatory.
Produces excellent bee forage over a long period and also attracts other useful beneficial insects.

Brazilian cherry
Eugenia uniflora
MYRTACEAE
Form: Compact, evergreen shrub from 3 to 6 metres high. The reddish young foliage matures to shiny green and is highly aromatic. The small creamy white flowers precede 8-ribbed fruit with very thin, shiny skin. The fruit ripens from green to orange or bright red, and is very tangy, even when ripe. The plant has a shallow root system and is best mulched.
Tolerances: Fairly hardy to cold. Will grow in most well drained soils but needs regular watering. Grows well near coast and is salt wind tolerant.
Uses: This ornamental shrub provides one of the richest sources of vitamin C. Fruit flavour varies with type and local selection. Crops mainly in early spring but there may be some fruit throughout the year.

Broad beans
Vicia faba
FABACEAE
Form: Upright, winter crop to 1.5 metres. This grey-green leafy annual produces white and black flowers followed by green pods. Pinch out the tops of the plants when they begin to flower to encourage pod set.
Tolerances: This cool season crop prefers temperatures below 15 degrees C. Plants will only grow strongly and reliably at cool temperatures. Tolerates most soils, though prefers it not too acidic. Withstands frosts.
Uses: They are an easy to grow crop to provide fresh and/or dried beans and they also freeze well. The young leafy tips are also eaten cooked as a vegetable.
Broad beans are often used as a green manure to add nitrogen to the soil, as these plants are leguminous and deposit nitrogen in the soil with the help of their bacterial root-associations.
As a cover crop they protect the ground during the rainy season.

Broccoli
Brassica oleracea italica
BRASSICACEAE
Form: Annual vegetable of the Brassica family with blue-green foliage.

Each plant produces one head of broccoli followed by smaller side shoots. As long as the plant isn't allowed to start flowering it will continue to produce edible shoots for a long time.

Removal of lower leaves will make a more upright plant.
Tolerances: Plant seed in mid to late summer for plants to mature in autumn, winter or spring. They can produce during summer, but high temperatures tend to make the vegetable tough and bitter. Provide shade to help reduce this problem. Water and feed regularly during the growing season.
Companion planting: see 'Cabbage white caterpillar control.'
Uses: High yielding and highly nutritious vegetable.
Once flowering begins broccoli plants can be left as a trap plant to distract cabbage moths from younger, food producing plants.

Brussels sprouts
Brassica oleracea gemmifera
BRASSICACEAE
Form: Upright, blue-green leaved, biennial vegetable. The leaves stick out horizontally from the tall stem. Sprouts form between the leaves.
Tolerances: Winter cropping vegetable with similar cultural requirements to cabbages, broccoli, etc. Frost improves the flavour.

They need rich fertile soil to produce large crops.
Lop at one metre to encourage sprouting further down the stem. These have more vitamin C than oranges, and will live and crop over several seasons, as long as they are in a good place to survive over summer.
Uses: Cold cropping, highly nutritious green vegetable, loved by some, hated by others! If they are overcooked they smell and taste bad, so less cooking is best. They are good steamed, with butter and black pepper.

Buckwheat
Fagopyrum esculentum
POLYGONACEAE
Form: An annual, deep-rooted grass-like plant with pretty blue flowers. Germinates and grows fast, producing seed in about 70 days.
Tolerances: Germinates quickly at 25 degrees C. It suits cool, moist climates or a mild winter.
Sow direct in spring or summer.
Uses: An edible seed which has no gluten.
Buckwheat is a dynamic accumulator of phosphorous from the soil, which means that the deep roots collect phosphorous from below and bring it to the surface. This plant can then be dug in as green manure while young, used in the compost as a high nutrient ingredient or left as a crop for consumption and the stalks returned to the soil.
Buckwheat is a good bee plant and also attracts hoverflies.

Buddleia
Buddleia davidii
LOGANIACEAE
Form: Large shrub, 5 metres x 3 metres wide, if left untended. The long dark green leaves have grey undersides, and the flowers are long spikes in many colours from dark purple to pink or white.
Tolerances: Can be pruned hard annually to make a hedge, or left unruly. Likes fertile well-drained soil and a fairly sunny position.
Uses: Good hedge, the flowers providing nectar for all kinds of insects. Butterflies are very fond of the spicily fragrant flowers in summer and autumn.