Australian Post Card

2 November 1998

From Mrs. Glover

Division: Cycadophyta 
Family: Cycadaceae 
Species: Macrozamia moorei

In and around the Education Center where we stayed, cycads are common in the grassy understory. This ancient plant is the symbol for Saddler Springs. The Aboriginal peoples of Australia used this plant as a food. The seeds of these and other cycads form in a large cone and have an orange outer coat. They are poisonous, but the Aborigines knew how to treat them to remove the poison. One of the ways was to cook the seed, break it up, and then soak it for up to three weeks in running water.

Macrozamia can withstand fire. In this region graziers (ranchers) periodically burn off the land to increase the growth of grasses for cattle. Although they seem to have oils which make them burn rapidly and dramatically as shown here, the trunk and roots remain alive and the plant leafs out again in a matter of months.

Aboriginal peoples also burned the land periodically. In part, they, too, wanted to increase the growth of native grasses so that kangaroos and other game would be available.

The lighting of a Macrozamia has become a tradition on the last night of our stay at Saddlers. Note the figure at the lower left.

Go to:	Previous Post Card Next Post Card
Mail:	Emmanuel College The University of Queensland Sir William MacGregor Drive St. Lucia, 4067 Queensland, Australia
Email:	tglover@zoology.uq.edu.au