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Quiz about Using Toxic Native Australian Plants
Quiz about Using Toxic Native Australian Plants

Using Toxic Native Australian Plants Quiz


Many Australian Native plants needed special preparation before being eaten to avoid possible toxic affects. Plants were also used as medicine, weapons or for food preparation.

A multiple-choice quiz by robraw. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
robraw
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
269,264
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
777
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 120 (3/10), Guest 100 (4/10), Guest 120 (4/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. What was the Avicennia marina (White Mangrove) used by the aborigines for?
Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. The Burdekin Plum can't be eaten straight from the tree. Before eating, it has to be? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. The seed from the Black Bean tree (Castanospermum australe) is toxic to humans and animals. To remove the toxins, the following preparation is needed? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. The Bunya Pine sets cones approximately every three years. The Aboriginals did what to improve the flavour and preserve the nuts found in the cone? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. To catch eels or fish, such as Murray Cod, the Aborigines would stun the eels or fish in the billabongs by throwing the crushed roots of which of the following bush/tree into the water? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. The Burke and Wills expedition may have survived by eating Nardoo prepared correctly, but by preparing it incorrectly their death probably was hastened. To use the plant safely the Aborigines did what to the spore cases? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Kangaroo Apple(Solanum laciniatum)was collected by the Aboriginals by? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. The Broad Leaf Melaleuca tree was used by Aborigines for? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. The Australian Aboriginal uses the Bunaangu Bush for?
Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. The Burrawang plant supplied necessary starch for Aboriginal tribes in NSW. To remove the toxins the Australian Native would? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Mar 18 2024 : Guest 120: 3/10
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Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. What was the Avicennia marina (White Mangrove) used by the aborigines for?

Answer: All are correct.

The Grey Mangrove grows from three to eight metres high. It has light-grey bark made up of thin brittle flakes. The Australian Aboriginal eat the seeds from the White mangrove after special preparation to remove the toxins.
2. The Burdekin Plum can't be eaten straight from the tree. Before eating, it has to be?

Answer: Aged for a few days till soft and mellow.

This plum is picked from a tree that grows in Northern Queensland and Papua New Guinea. It is high in antioxidants and related to the mango.
Aborigines often bury them in the ground to help with the ripening process.
While they can be eaten raw, today they are often made into jams or jellies.
3. The seed from the Black Bean tree (Castanospermum australe) is toxic to humans and animals. To remove the toxins, the following preparation is needed?

Answer: All methods are needed to remove the toxins.

The seeds from the Castanospermum australe, known as the Black-Bean Tree or the Moreton Bay Chestnut, are toxic to humans and animals, but are eaten by the Australian Aborigines after considerable preparation. The cracked seeds are soaked in running water for several days, then pounded and made into a cakes which are roasted. Each step is required to ensure the toxins are removed. If eaten with out preparation, the seeds can cause severe diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal pain and dizziness
The seeds are believed to contain alkaloids which have anti-HIV and anti -cancer properties.
The wood from the tree is used extensively.
4. The Bunya Pine sets cones approximately every three years. The Aboriginals did what to improve the flavour and preserve the nuts found in the cone?

Answer: Buried them in mud for several months

The Bunya Pine grows naturally in a small area of Southern Queensland. The cones develop on a mature tree every three years between January and March. A mature tree would produce many cones weighing up to 8kgs, containing up to 100 nuts per cone. The Bunya nut can be eaten raw or roasted, but to improve the taste and preserve the nut the local aboriginals buried the nut in mud for several months.
5. To catch eels or fish, such as Murray Cod, the Aborigines would stun the eels or fish in the billabongs by throwing the crushed roots of which of the following bush/tree into the water?

Answer: Austral Indigo bush.

Austral Indigo bush is one of several bushes or trees used by Aboriginals to stun fish. The poison obtained by crushing the roots of the Austral Indigo bush affect the fish or eels but not the people eating the fish. The bark when boiled also produces a purple dye.
6. The Burke and Wills expedition may have survived by eating Nardoo prepared correctly, but by preparing it incorrectly their death probably was hastened. To use the plant safely the Aborigines did what to the spore cases?

Answer: Roasted the spores cases before pounding them.

The spore cases from the Nardoo plant contain thiaminase, which prevents Thiamine being absorbed and causes Berri-Berri. The Aboriginals had given prepared Nardoo to Burke and Wills' party. The group then collected and prepared the Nardoo by grounding it into a powder then mixing it with water to make a thin gruel as they had seen the Aborigines do.

They didn't realise that the Aborigines roasted the spore cases before they ground it to make the gruel. The roasting removesthe enzyme, which prevents thiamine being absorbed.
7. Kangaroo Apple(Solanum laciniatum)was collected by the Aboriginals by?

Answer: Picking them from the ground after they had ripened and fallen from the shrub.

Aboriginals collected the fruit from the ground after it had ripened and fallen from the 4m high shrubs. The fruits turned bright orange to red when ripe, often with the pods splitting. Un-ripened Kangaroo Apples are toxic. In Tasmania the Aborigines would pick the fruit and bury the fruit in sand heaps till they ripened.
8. The Broad Leaf Melaleuca tree was used by Aborigines for?

Answer: All are correct

The Broad Leaf Melaleuca tree has a wide distribution from southern New South Wales to Cape York. Aboriginals used it for treating minor pain by chewing or making a tea from the new leaves. The bark was also used to line sleeping mats, baby cradles and to plug holes in canoes.

The bark acted like aluminum when food was wrapped in it before cooking. The Broad Leaf Melaleuca was imported into Florida and has become a pest, invading the Everglades. In 1992 the species was placed on the United States Department of Agriculture's Federal Noxious Weed List.

In its native Australia the tree isn't invasive.
9. The Australian Aboriginal uses the Bunaangu Bush for?

Answer: Toothache.

The Bunaangu (Bloodwood) bush contains a sap, which is very bitter. The Aborigines boil the sap and drink it to ease the pain of a toothache. The Aborigines also claim that it helps with a bad chest.
10. The Burrawang plant supplied necessary starch for Aboriginal tribes in NSW. To remove the toxins the Australian Native would?

Answer: Pound and soak the seeds in water for at least a week, changing the water daily. The pulp was then made into cakes and roasted over hot embers.

The Burrawang plant is a cycad which fruits after a fire.
Burrawang seeds are highly nutritious because they contain starch but are also extremely toxic without the correct preparation.
Source: Author robraw

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