Aussie Bushfoods: Snottygobble ( Cassytha pubescens and friends)

Cassytha pubescens, or ‘snottygobble’. You can eat the fruit, but don’t eat too many!

There are several similar plants in the genus Cassytha, C. pubescens is the most common one where we forage. Different species have white, green or even black flowers. They all have tiny flowers and fruit that are edible though, C. pubescens is by far the tastiest.

‘pubescens‘ alludes to the tiny hairs that cover the plant


These plants are twining climbers that can get to be quite a burden on the plants upon which they climb, smothering them in time.

Cassytha have small fruits that can be eaten in small amounts. If you hold the fruit in your mouth for a while while chewing it slowly, it releases quite a large amount of mucilage, hence the name ‘snottygobble’. Don’t eat too many of them though, they are quite a good laxative!

Tiny Cassytha flowers



I like to keep one in my mouth while walking in the bush to keep my mouth from drying out, the mucilage soothes my dry mouth and also contains sugars for a little energy boost.

Of course, if you're out in the bush, don't forget to drink plenty of water.

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

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

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