White Aspen bushfood fruits

White Aspen (also called Yellow Wood or Pigeon Berry) is a rainforest tree producing edible bushfood fruits with a strong citrus flavour and honey notes. It’s endemic to the Daintree region in Queensland, but will grow as far south as Sydney.

It’s a small-to-medium rainforest tree with striking, bright-white fruit, produced during winter. The fruits have a pleasant, aromatic, peppery smell and a lemony, pine/mango flavour.

◎  Common Name: White Aspen, Yellow Wood, Pigeon Berry

◎  Scientific or Latin Name: Acronychia oblongifolia (family Rutaceae)

◎  Comparison: Lemon or orange

◎  Seasonality: All year frozen

◎  Region: Eastern

◎  Taste Profile: White Aspen have a crisp texture and an aromatic lemon/orange flavour with hints of eucalyptus and honey.

◎  Types: Acronychia oblongifolia, is of the citrus family Rutaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia.

Benefits

• The leaf buds and leaves of white aspen can heal various burns and irritation. 
• White Aspen contains salicin which shares the same qualities of aspirin, and is said to have anti-inflammatory properties.
• It helps to alleviate various types of body aches and nerve pains.
  
• It can be used to treat mild urinary tract infections.

Traditional Aboriginal Food and Uses

Aboriginal & Traditional

Varieties of Aspen fruit have been used by the Aborigines for thousands of years for both medicinal and culinary purposes, however there is little recorded information of traditional uses for White Aspen.

Western & Modern

You can use White Aspen in many ways. The juices are great for food pairings; in a variety of ferments, because it contains acids which break down proteins. It is perfect for fresh desserts, in salads and sauces or dehydrated in teas. The list is endless, really. Essentially it can be used like a fresh berry, but can sit among savoury ingredients comfortably. Cooked, they go well with seafood or poultry, and can be made into preserves, jams, syrups, cakes, sauces, juices and cocktails.

There are several known uses for the wood of the white aspen, fairly strong, they are soft and has low flammability, hence used for making matches and paper. Its low flammability aspect makes it safer to use than most other wood types.

Medicinal

Leaf buds and leaves of white aspen can heal various burns and irritation. Seeing that the tree is known to contain a chemical compound called salicin which shares the same qualities of aspirin, they are said to have anti-inflammatory properties.

Known to help bladder and prostate problems, they can also help alleviate various types of aches which also include joint pains (rheumatism), back pains (sciatica), and nerve pains (neuralgia).

Bark and leaves of the tree are used to make a decoction which is said to treat mild urinary tract infections; however, the inner bark of white aspen has laxative effects.

 

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Note: The term 'Bush Tucker' and 'Bush Food' are not Warndu's preferred terms for Australian Native Ingredients or Australian Botanicals.

Images: Photo by Josie Withers, courtesy of Broadsheet.