Skip to main content

Table 1 Plants ranked according to the number of people able to name them (total N = 13)

From: Patterns in the transmission of traditional ecological knowledge: a case study from Arnhem Land, Australia

Scientific name Kune name(s)a Number of respondents Recorded usesb
Antidesma ghaesembilla djulukkurn, kunj kurlba, djubbi 13 Fruit eaten
Buchanania obovata man-moyi 13 Fruit eaten
Cassytha filiformis burrunburrun 13 Fruit eaten
Morinda citrifolia man-ngukmanj, man-ngukbanj 13 Fruit eaten, medicinal
Nymphaea violacea wayuk, budbarrk 13 Fruit, stem, roots eaten
Pandanus spiralis kun-dayarr 13 Seed, leaf base eaten
Syzygium eucalyptoides bokorn 13 Fruit eaten
Syzygium potamophilum kiddjanjdjanj 13 Fruit eaten
Syzygium suborbiculare djarduk 13 Fruit eaten
Terminalia carpentariae man-mobban 13 Fruit eaten
Bambusa arnhemica man-kole, barakkarl 12 Spear-making
Ficus virens djarnhba 12 Fruit eaten, fibres used to make string
Melaleuca leucadendra kun-kod 12 Bark used for building material, making artefacts
Acacia difficilis man-djoh 11 Seeds eaten
Cycas angulata man-dirnku, ngaddu 11 Seeds eaten
Livistonia humilis djarnkele, djadjak 11 Pith, shoots, fruit eaten
Callitris intratropica man-larru 10 Medicinal bark
Corypha utan (formerly C. elata) kurlwirri 10 Growing tip eaten
Erythrophleum chlorostachys man-dubang 10 Medicinal bark, leaves burnt for ‘smoking’ ceremonies, hard wood for construction
Eucalyptus miniata man-balanjdjarr 10 Medicinal bark, seeds eaten
Flagellaria indica bardderdde 10 Fruit eaten, fibres used to make string
Gronophyllum ramsayi kolng 9 Growing tip eaten, leaves used to make artefacts
Nauclea orientalis dubal 9 Fruit eaten
Terminalia ferdinandiana man-marlak, man-manjarr 8 Fruit eaten
Eucalyptus alba kolokkolo, ?man-komborlo, ?warlan 7 ?
Flueggea virosa man-korrowon 7 Fruit eaten
Grewia retusifolia man-djotmo, murriddjam 7 Fruit eaten
Grevillea pteridifolia man-bongko 7 Nectar sucked from flowers, leaves used to flavour meat
Brachychiton paradoxum budbud, man-ngarnanj 6 Fruit eaten, fibres used to make string
Carallia brachiata man-wirdu, man-yoku 6 Fruit eaten
Petalostigma pubescens man-bedde 6 Children play with immature fruit*
Eucalyptus tetradonta man-buluddak 5 Bark used for bark paintings, inner bark and leaves are medicinal*
Cymbidium canaliculatum durda, nyarlkkan, djalamardi 5 Sticky sap used as a paint fixative
Tamarindus indica djambang 5 Fruit eaten
Xanthostemon paradoxus man-riyak, ?man-burlu 5 ?
Banksia dentata man-limbidj 4 Dried seed pods used to comb hair, can be carried smouldering for long distances to light new fires
Eucalyptus bleeseri man-kalarr, ?man-djuwi 4 Medicinal resin*
Persoonia falcata man-dark 4 Fruit eaten, medicinal inner bark and leaves*
Sterculia quadrifida nawurleb 4 Seeds eaten, medicinal inner bark*, fibres used to make string
Barringtonia acutangula man-manjarr, rdangki 3 Crushed leaves used as fish poison*
Calytrix exstipulata man-barnabbarna, ?man-barndarr 3 Mosquito repellent*
Capparis umbonata man-djiliwirn 3 Fruit eaten, medicinal bark and leaves*
Cartonema spicatum dikkala 3 Edible yam
Crinum arenarium (prev. C. angustifolium) kurlumudduk, kolomoddok 3 Poisonous, associated folklore, medicinal bulb and leaves*
Eucalyptus clavigera djanorro 3 Ash from bark mixed with tobacco*
Ficus racemosa warnwarnh 3 Fruit eaten, canoe made from trunk*
Vitex glabrata man-kurndalh 3 Fruit eaten
Acacia dimidiata man-borrelk 2 ?
Casuarina equisetifolia djarah 2 ?
Eucalyptus grandifolia kolokkolo 2 ?
Eucalyptus polycarpa man-bune 2 ?
Pandanus aquaticus man-djimdjim 2 Leaf base eaten
Planchonia careya man-wadberr 2 Fruit eaten, medicinal inner bark*, fish poison*
Acacia auriculiformis birlibirlih 1 Bark ash mixed with tobacco*, medicinal leaves*
Acacia gonocarpa man-bulkung 1 ?
Acacia holosericea man-merrulk 1 Hard wood for artefacts*, leaves used as soap and fish poison*, edible seeds*
Acacia platycarpa barlarra 1 ?
Alphitonia excelsa dird 1 Leaves have saponins*
Alstonia actinophylla namoroddo 1 Canoe made from trunk*
Amyema sanguineum man-djinirrinj 1 Fruit eaten*
Bombax ceiba kordow 1 Making canoes and artefacts*
Clerodendrum floribundum man-molorrk 1 Tap root is edible after roasting (emergency food)*, medicinal uses*
Eucalyptus ptychocarpa man-korlangrlang 1 ?
Eucalyptus ferruginea man-dangdang 1 ?
Hakea arborescens ?man-bardderre 1 Medicinal inner bark*
Hibiscus menzeliae manyalhmanyalh 1 Fibres used to make string,
Jacksonia dilatata ?wayarramono, ?wayarramurrngo 1 Medicinal inner bark*
Leptospermum longifolium man-wurrkula 1 ?
Melaleuca argentea man-murrmu 1 Bark for building shelters, medicinal leaves*
Melaleuca cajuputi wendelwendel 1 Medicinal leaves*
Melaleuca dealbata djarrkah 1 ?
Melaleuca symphocarpa man-domoddomo 1 ?
Mimusops elengi dalinga 1 ?
Protasparagus racemosus birndiyay 1 Medicinal root
Tacca leontopetaloides karlanj 1 Yam and fruit eaten
Vigna vexillata burlkud 1 Edible yam
  1. The prefixes man- and kun- are noun class markers in Kune for the vegetal and inanimate classes respectively
  2. Asterisk indicates information from [29], pertaining to unrelated language groups of the Northern Territory; Kune people may not necessarily use these plants in the same way
  3. aWhen more than one name is given, the first is generally the one associated with the people living Buluhkaduru, while the other words may be from neighbouring languages or dialects, which are frequently used by Kune speakers as synonyms
  4. bSources: [29,30,31], author’s field notes
Back to article page