Yam Daisy

~ Microseris walteri ~

Murnong in the Woiwurrung language

ASTERACEAE

Microseris walteri is one of three plants classified as the Yam Daisy or Murnong, alongside M. scapigera and M. lanceolata. They all share a yellow dandelion-like daisy, have edible roots and tubers and have been used as a prominent agricultural food source within First Nations cultures for millennia. Unfortunately the Yam Daisy has significantly decreased in numbers since the onset of pastoralism due to overgrazing livestock and the lack of fire regimes. However, researchers are making headway into cultivating this indigenous vegetable en masse once again. These edible tubers are complex carbohydrates that have a similar consistency to sweet potato with slight coconut flavours and a nuttiness when roasted. They are believed to be eight times as nutritious as the common potato. We can learn through Bruce Pascoe’s book Dark Emu that shifting our focus to native food sources, such as the Yam Daisy, could be a viable path towards a more sustainable food future. This is one plant we can easily cultivate in our backyards as a vegetable staple with great cultural significance.

WHERE TO LOOK

Murnong can be found in the temperate south across Victoria, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, South Australia, Western Australia and lutruwita (Tasmania). They can be found in their own tiny meadows in grasslands and dry open forests. In Western Australia Murnong can also be seen around saltpans.

Locations → Victoria: Fireline Track at Mount Dandenong, Warrandyte–Kinglake Nature Conservation Reserve, Kinglake National Park and Hattah–Kulkyne National Park.

FEATURES

These herby plants grow 15–50cm tall with a dandelion-like yellow flower. Their long narrow leaves generally sit around the base of the flower stem, growing 5–30cm long. Underground is its 7mm long edible tuber. The Murnong forms a fluffy seed cluster that you can blow on the breeze like a dandelion.

FLOWERING SEASON

Spring → This perennial forms flowers in spring and tubers in mid-summer. When the flowers die back in autumn, harvest the tuber roots.

TRADITIONAL USES

The tubers of all three species of Yam Daisy have been harvested with digging sticks (aka yam sticks) and roasted in an earth oven as a high-energy staple throughout First Nation communities. However, ethnobotanical documentation shows that Microseris lanceolata was likely more dominant within the southern regions. Tubers were strategically harvested so as to leave part tubers for next season’s growth.

PLANTING

Seeds and plants can be found online and in specialty nurseries. To sow seeds, see Plant a Wildflower Meadow on p. xix. Seeds germinate in a couple of weeks.