Ethnobotany of Warrilyu (Eucalyptus pachyphylla F.Muell. [Myrtaceae]): Aboriginal Seed Food of the Gibson Desert, Western Australia

This paper reports on the ethnobotany of Eucalyptus pachyphylla F.Muell. (Myrtaceae) (Pintupi name warrilyu), an understudied Eucalyptus species with a distribution largely restricted to the Gibson Desert region of Western Australia and the southern Northern Territory. Seeds of this and certain other Eucalyptus species were traditionally consumed as uncooked “seed pastes” by desert Aboriginal peoples (Cane 1987; Gillen 2017; Johnstone and Cleland 1943; Latz 2018; Roth 1897; Walsh and Douglas 2011). However, unfortunately, as with many other arid zone seed foods that were utilized intermittently depending on seasonal availability, there seems to be little or no written record of the specific techniques used to process E. pachyphylla seeds. Moreover, the nutritional status of the seeds is unknown. Here, we provide an ethnographic account of the harvesting and processing of E. pachyphylla seeds and present empirical data on seed collection rates and the nutritional value of processed seed flour. In our discussion, we highlight the importance of E. pachyphylla seed in the traditional economy of Gibson Desert people and consider the possibility/feasibility of seed harvest for commercial purposes.