Australian Bushfoods: Old Man's beard (Clematis microphylla)

Our Aussie plant, ‘Old Man’s Beard’ (Clematis microphylla) is a totally different plant to the one you will see under that name in most herbals. Once again, common names, though very descriptive, can be misleading.

Ours’ is a climber, a very good one at that, frequently found covering plants in the bush with its vigorous growth and distinguishing bearded fruit. It is these ‘beards’ that give ‘Old Man’s Beard’ its name, as enmasse, they look like a whole lot of beard.

Downy seeds

The way I show people to identify this Clematis for when it’s not flowering (August to November) or in fruit is to look at the small leaves (‘microphylla’ means ‘small leaved’) which are always in groups of 3. Thats the most distinguishing feature. There are two varieties, divided by the size of their leaves, but for our purposes, they’re essentially the same.

Leaves always in threes


So, what good is it, you may ask. Well…

You can eat the roots. Raw, they have a biting, peppery taste, but taste just a little better cooked.

Crushing the leaves and inhaling their peppery aroma has been used by the locals as a way to relieve headaches. Steaming the leaves and placing them on arthritic and just plain achy joints can bring welcome relief quite quickly.

Of course, you’ll want to nibble on the leaves. Be careful here, as on first bite, they don’t seem that strong, but the longer you leave them in your mouth, the hotter and stronger they get. They can burn your mouth! So be careful and only have a nibble..

This is #originalwork. The pics were taken by yours truly.

You can find more great Bushfoods and Bush Medicines on our Aussie Bushfoods Index here on Steemit.

Learn more about South Australian Bushfoods and Bush Medicines on our blog, Ligaya.

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