green plum

Popular fruit available in kurrung and kunumeleng. Usually collected from the ground and eaten raw. They are very sweet and much sought after. They were also sun dried, covered in red-ochre and wrapped in sheets of paperbark for storage in rock shelters for consumption throughout the following dry season. At that time, the entire fruit is eaten after being soaked in water and pounded between stones. (Chaloupka & Giuliani 1984, p. 134). The fresh fruit and seeds were also pounded with a stone and the pulp eaten (Lucas & Russell-Smith 1993, Vol. 1, p. 88); ripe fruits are a seasonal indicator for kunumeleng; emus also eat the fruits and bash into the trunks with their breast plate to make the fruit fall to the ground.
Leaves warmed on coals and placed on stomach during childbirth to contraction pains and aid ejection of afterbirth; heated leaves applied to the chest, back and ears to alleviate pain.
The tree and fruits are a major djang or totem for Bolmo clan people from the upper East Alligator River.

Small to moderately sized deciduous tree to 10 m high with rough, dark grey, tessellated and somewhat scaly bark. Leaves alternate, smooth, thick, leathery, broadly oblong tapering towards the base, blades 50-250 mm long x 15-100 mm wide, prominently raised midvein and distinct venation. Flowers small, cream, 4-5 mm diameter, numerous on slender terminal panicles 100-180 mm long. Fruit smooth fleshy ovoid drupe, 10-17 mm long x 10-15 mm diameter, yellow-green when ripe. Found in open forest and woodland in lowland and sandstone country. 

Birridoy mandudjmi. Ya birrikang kondanj dabborrabbolk wanjh ngandibukkang ngadberre wanjh ngarrihdoy manih manbu kunwardde.

They used to pound the green plum. Our ancestors from this place showed us and so we continued [the tradition] of pounding them here on this rock.

Andudjmi karrong karrong karere anbu makka wodberr mane kawohdengebarrarn karrulkmelme wanjh kamankan borrb borrb borrb borrb wanjh kahdjalngun kadjalngun kadolhme. Lerre kaderrehme albuyika albu kabikadjung kabanidjarrkngun kabaniyakwon kabaniyawoyhderrehme kubuyika kabaningun kabanibekkan kabanidjalnguklurlme  kukkukah wanjh kabanire might be kabongun konda Balbalk.

It [the emu] strikes the green plum tree repeatedly, the short variety of the tree and with the space in between its toes it kicks the tree and the fruit fall down plop plop plop plop and then it eats them all and puts its head up again. Then another might join it  and together they eat and finish it all, they move off to another tree and when they hear their bellies have swollen up they go off for water, such as here at Balbalk.

The edible fruit can be eaten as is, dried, or pounded into a mash, the stem chewed for tooth ache, the leaf chewed and juice swallowed for stomach pain. 

Andudjmi / anmoyi are the names in some dialects for large trees, whilst anwodbarr is a is a short tree of no more than a metre high but still produces fruit.