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THE BRIBIE ISLANDER
SEPTEMBER 2017 - ISSUE 38
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BUNGWALL FERN
STAPLE FOOD OF THE JOONDABURRIE PEOPLE B
ungwall Ferns Blechnum indicum grow prolifically on Bribie Island in the melaleuca swamps and other wet areas. They are also found in Northern NSW, Coastal Northern Territory, Malaysia and some Pacific islands. Bungwalls are a large fishbone fern with fronds which can reach to one metre and sometimes more. Frogs, lizards, insects and other water creatures find shelter in the thick stands. In days gone by the fern was called Bungwall by the Aborigines of Bribie Island and Moreton Bay. Further north the fern was known as Dugal. Bungwall Ferns also known as Swamp Water Ferns were one of the most significant staple foods of the Joondaburrie people living on Bribie Island before white settlement. The tuberous roots were first soaked in water, roasted in the fire then ground into flour and made into cakes. It was their chief source of carbohydrates. These cakes were eaten with fish, oysters or animal meat.
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Ferns do not produce seeds or fruit instead they reproduce with spores which are found clinging to the backs of the fronds. Bungwalls are fire resistant plants and during a bushfire are instrumental in saving the Melaleuca trees from some of the extreme heat. Their tuberous root system helps to stabilise the soil. New fronds are a most attractive pink or gold colour. The scientific name Blechnum Indicum comes both from both Latin and Greek. Blechnum is from Greek origin meaning “fern� and indicum from indictum in Latin showing that this plant was first discovered in the East Indies. In Australia the fern was first collected in Botany Bay by Joseph Banks in 1770.
Bungwall Tuber
Bungwall Fern - Bribie Island
Bungwall growing among the reeds on Bribie
By Marj Webber
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