Aussie Bushfoods: Coastal Ballart (Exocarpos syrticola)

Coastal Ballart (Exocarpos syrticola)


Coastal Ballart, or ‘Native cherry’ (Exocarpos syrticola) is a common plant along the coasts of Southern Australia.

It’s an interesting plant, the many branches and branchlets are ridged and grooved and are easily mutated, sometimes joining together in lumps and flat plate like structures. The branches are usually green, but where we go, often turn pink-orange. It’s small flowers are the same colours of the branches. The plant is very variable in height, books say up to 3 metres, but I’ve never seen one that tall.

In summer, after November, white and pink berries are produced that are quite tasty, though they can be astringent if not quite ripe.

It’s interesting that with these berries, the seed is on the outside. That’s where it gets its name ‘Exo’ = outside, ‘carpos’ = fruit. Quite literally, it means ‘seed on the outside’. This is something it has in common with it’s close relative, the Native Cherry, or Ballart, Ecocarpos cupressiformis.

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