Post by AussieSurvival on May 11, 2009 16:51:33 GMT 9.5
Burrawang Cycad Dont Eat
Description: Stem mostly subterranean but in shallow soils forming an aerial trunk 1–2 m high, 30–60 cm diam.
Leaves 50–100 in the crown, 70–200 cm long, rachis not twisted; pinnae 70–130, longest 16–35 cm long, 4–12 mm wide, simple, not crowded, thick and rigid, rather dull, with 7–13 scarcely raised veins below; lowest pinnae reduced to spines; spine-free petiole 12–60 cm long.
Male cones 20–45 cm long, 8–12 cm diam., longest spines 2–5 cm long. Female cones 20–45 cm long, 10–20 cm diam.; longest spines 4–10 cm long; seeds 3–4.5 cm long, 2–3 cm diam., scarlet when ripe.
Distribution and occurrence: in sclerophyll forest on sandy to loamy soils, often in dense stands; on the coast and adjacent ranges from the Macleay R. system to Bega, and the Goulburn R. district. Sometimes cultivated.
Sclerophyll forest on sandy to loamy soils, often in dense stands.
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC, SC
Description: Stem mostly subterranean but in shallow soils forming an aerial trunk 1–2 m high, 30–60 cm diam.
Leaves 50–100 in the crown, 70–200 cm long, rachis not twisted; pinnae 70–130, longest 16–35 cm long, 4–12 mm wide, simple, not crowded, thick and rigid, rather dull, with 7–13 scarcely raised veins below; lowest pinnae reduced to spines; spine-free petiole 12–60 cm long.
Male cones 20–45 cm long, 8–12 cm diam., longest spines 2–5 cm long. Female cones 20–45 cm long, 10–20 cm diam.; longest spines 4–10 cm long; seeds 3–4.5 cm long, 2–3 cm diam., scarlet when ripe.
Distribution and occurrence: in sclerophyll forest on sandy to loamy soils, often in dense stands; on the coast and adjacent ranges from the Macleay R. system to Bega, and the Goulburn R. district. Sometimes cultivated.
Sclerophyll forest on sandy to loamy soils, often in dense stands.
NSW subdivisions: NC, CC, SC
Thomas B bushfood.net: Are you still alive? That's a burrawang cycad, Macrozamia communis. It is highly toxic, containing neurotoxic glycosides and non protein amino acids. Cattle generally die from eating the plant's leaves, because they are unable to vomit, whereas humans who eat the unprocessed (apparently delicious) nuts suffer stomach cramps and vomiting. No recorded human fatalities have occurred, but single incidences of eating the seeds or leave bases (which apparently taste like sugarcane), may cause kidney damage. Nevertheless, the processed seeds were traditionally eaten. The preparation involved either grating and soaking in running water for about a week or "fermenting" in standing water for up to a month. Check in Cherikoff's "The Bushfood Handbook" or Tim Low's "Wild Food Plants of Australia" for details. The resulting flour, after drying, has a yeasty cheesy taste.
The purpose of the fleshy coating of the seeds is disputed. Some animals are able to eat the seed coat, and in overseas species this is occasionally eaten without treatment. I believe that the toxicity of this part of the plant is still being researched. Cherikoff gives a preparation of the seed coat assuming that it is toxic