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Plant identification guides:
Bush tucker food forest

Information about medicinal qualities of plants, or about their use as medicines, is for interest only, and is not intended to be used as a guide for the treatment of medical conditions.

 

As with all medicinal applications of Australian bush foods, please do your due diligence and consult with First Nations or other Australian herbal specialists before utilising as a remedy for any condition.

 

Some parts of the plant may not be edible or some may need preparation before they are safe to eat or use in any way. We do our best to describe their traditional & modern uses. It is the reader’s responsibility to ensure they are fit for their intended use.

 

We can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Ruby Saltbush

Scientific name:

Other Names:

Enchylaena tomentosa

Barrier saltbush, barilla berry, berry bush

Family:

Amaranthaceae (Amaranth family)

Ruby Saltbush

Basic info:

For more information, please see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enchylaena_tomentosa

Uses and Interesting Information:

A colourful desert and inland bushfood whose berries were traditionally eaten fresh, dried or mixed into cakes. Today Ruby Saltbush is prized in bush tucker gardens, arid-land regeneration and modern cuisine for its mild sweetness, mineral-rich leaves and year-round berries.



Indigenous Uses


1. Berries – an important desert and inland bushfood

Indigenous peoples across Australia widely used the colourful berries:

  • eaten fresh

  • eaten sun-dried

  • mashed into cakes

  • mixed with animal fats or nectar

  • added to water to make a subtly sweet drink

Flavour: mildly sweet • slightly salty • refreshing • juicy

Because the berries remain available year-round, this plant was considered a dependable survival food.


2. Natural food dye

The berries’ brilliant colours — red, orange, yellow or pink — were used:

  • to colour foods

  • to decorate skin or hair

  • in ceremonial markings

  • to stain objects for storytelling


3. Hydrating snack

Ruby Saltbush berries hold moisture in arid environments.They were valued as a water-source snack, especially in hot inland journeys.


4. Leaves – emergency green vegetable

Leaves were sometimes:

  • cooked lightly as greens

  • added to mixed foraged plants

  • used as emergency food in hard seasons

The salty, succulent leaves were beneficial in mineral-poor diets.


5. Medicinal uses

Infusions of leaves or berries used for:

  • cooling the body

  • gentle digestive support

  • mild mineral replenishment

The plant’s salts and micronutrients help replenish the body in hot climates.



Stories, Culture & Interesting Lore


1. “The Rainbow Berry of the Desert”

Ruby Saltbush often produces different coloured berries on the same bush.

For many groups, this symbolised:

  • diversity

  • resilience

  • prosperity after rain

  • the desert’s hidden abundance

It is known as a plant that “brightens the country after hardship.”


2. A traveller’s friend

Because the berries grow year-round — even in drought — the plant was seen as:

  • a guide for safe travelling country

  • a sign of edible landscape

  • a survival ally during heat and scarcity

Saltbush often grows around old campsites and meeting places.


3. A plant that responds to rain stories

After rain, the berries become more numerous and colourful.This cycle was part of traditional seasonal storytelling:

  • rain brings colour

  • colour brings animals

  • animals spread seeds

  • seeds restore country


4. A culturally shared food

Ruby Saltbush grows across:

  • inland deserts

  • coastal dunes

  • salt lakes

  • rangelands

  • rocky outcrops

It is one of the few bushfoods connecting many different language groups, making it a symbol of shared resource and knowledge.



Modern Uses


1. Bushfood cuisine

Ruby Saltbush berries are used today in:

  • salads

  • baked goods

  • desserts

  • garnishes

  • native slaws

  • cheese platters

  • infused waters and cocktails

They add colour, mild sweetness, and minerality.


2. Drinks

Used for:

  • infused waters

  • sparkling berry–salt drinks

  • gin infusions

  • bush cordials

  • kombucha blends

The subtle saltiness enhances flavour balance in beverages.


3. Leaves as a vegetable

Young leaves can be:

  • sautéed

  • steamed

  • added to stir-fries

  • used as a native “spinach”

  • incorporated into pestos and herb mixes


4. Landscaping

Ruby Saltbush is a brilliant garden shrub:

  • drought-tolerant

  • salt-tolerant

  • fire-tolerant

  • attracts birds

  • produces colourful fruit year-round


Great for:

  • permaculture systems

  • edible hedges

  • dryland food gardens

  • coastal gardens

  • wildlife corridors


5. Natural products

Leaves and berries used in:

  • mineral-rich herbal teas

  • skincare with antioxidant properties

  • natural colourants


6. Livestock & land regeneration

Used as:

  • a nutritious fodder

  • a soil stabiliser

  • salt-land rehabilitation

  • an erosion control plant

Its deep roots and salt tolerance make it invaluable in degraded landscapes.



Ecological Importance


Food for wildlife

Provides berries for:

  • small birds (wrens, finches, robins)

  • lizards

  • small mammals

  • insect pollinators

  • emus (which disperse seed over long ranges)


Soil & landscape health

Ruby Saltbush:

  • stabilises sandy soils

  • draws salt from the surface

  • improves soil structure

  • promotes colonisation by other plants


Habitat creation

Dense forms offer:

  • protection for small birds

  • reptile shelter

  • insect habitat


Fire ecology

  • Very fire-tolerant

  • Resprouts quickly

  • Ideal early coloniser after burns.

Recipes:

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