Common name: Native Geranium, Australian Cranesbill, Native Carrot Family name: Geraniaceae Botanical name: Geranium solanderi Flowering/fruiting season: October

Location:

• Tableland - alpine
• Available summer-autumn, common in damp habitats (Flood, 1980:95)
• Black Mountain, Murrumbidgee Valley, Gudgenby, Mt Coree, south through the Cotter and along the ranges. (Burbidge & Gray, 1976:233)
• Red Hill

Use:

• Food
• Large fleshy roots were roasted (Flood, 1980:95)
• Plants with tough roots - need to be pounded; contain nutritious starch and can be eaten after cooking; some contain tannin - unpalatable (Zola & Gott, 1992:47)

Notes:
'… boiled and eaten the slender, carroty taproot … was well packed with starch but not particularly palatable with a slight bitter flavour.' (Cribb & Cribb, 1987:169)

Language names:

• terrat : Coranderrk
• kullumkulkeetch : Tjapwurong
• kawurn kallumbarrant : Gunditjmara (Zola & Gott, 1992)

Horticulture :
Grow from seed or cutting. Hardy plants suitable for rockery or planting in pots.

Similar species:
Pelargonium spp.; Erodium spp.

Use code:
ROOT

« « Go Back | Return to Top of Page