[Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad.] where it may serve as the only source of water for man and animals alike over extended periods of the dry season (Story, 1958). Tropical Cucumis and Mamordica species are still gathered in the wild in Africa and Asia. The genus Cucurbita is confined to the Americas and was extensively exploited by the Native Americans; several species were domesticated. The white‐flowered bottle gourd [Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standl.] has been widely exploited, primarily for the hard shells of the fruits which make excellent containers. Its use has been recorded in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia, but its distribution as a wild plant is not well known. The fruits of the Australian races are said to be purgative or even poisonous according to Maiden (1889) but are eaten by the Aborigines after being processed. The fruits of some domesticated races may be eaten when young without special precautions. Luffa is also widely used in Asia and Africa as a vegetable or medicine, but is a fish poison in Australia (Palmer, 1883).
Summary
Finally, we might return to the plants gathered by Australian Aborigines as, perhaps, representing a most authentic selection by surviving nonagricultural peoples. A short list of genera that include one or more species harvested in the wild by native Australians is given in Table 1.3. I have attempted to indicate where species of each genus are harvested in the wild in addition to Australia. It seems evident from these data and the foregoing discussion that gatherers exploit about the same range of plants wherever they find them.
Table 1.3 A short list of genera that include one or more species harvested for food by native Australia.a
| Acacia (Af, Am, As)+ | Lepidium (Am, Af, As, E)+ |
| Adansonia (Af, As)+ | Linum (As, E)+ |
| Aleurites (As, 0)+ | Loranthus |
| Alocasia (As, 0)+ | Lucuma (Am)+ |
| Amamnthus (Am, As, Af)+ | Luffa (As)+ |
| Amorphophallus (Af. As, 0)+ | Lycium (Af) |
| Antidesma (As) | Macadamia (#) |
| Araucana (Am, O, #) | Manikara (Af) |
| Austromyrtus | Marsilia |
| Boerhaavia (Af, Am, As) | Mimusops (Af, As) |
| Bowenia | Mucuna (As)+ |
| Calamus | Musa (As, 0)+ |
| Canavalia (Af, Am, As)+ | Nasturtium (As)+ |
| Capparis (Af, As)+ | Nelumbium (Af, As)+ |
| Carissa (Af) | Nymphaea (Am, Af, As)+ |
| Cassia (Af, As, O) | Ocimum (Af, As)+ |
| Chenopodium (Am, Af, As)+ | Oryza (Am, Af, As, O) |
| Citrus (As, O)+ | Oxalis (Am, Af, As)+ |
| Clerodendrum (Af) | Pandanus (As, O)+ |
| Cordia (Af, As) | Panicum (Am, Af, As, E)+ |
| Cucumis (As, Af)+ | Parinari (Af) |
| Cyperus (Am, Af. As) | Phragmites (Af, Am, As, E, O) |
| Dactyloctenium (Af) | Physalis (Am, Af, As, E)+ |
| Digitaria (Af, As, E)+ | Piper (Am, Af, As, O)+ |
| Dioscorea (Am, Af. As)+ | Podocarpus (Af, As, O)+ |
| Diospyros (Am. As, O)+ | Polygonum (Am, Af, As. E, O) |
| Dolichos (Af. As. O)+ | Portulaca (Am, Af. As, E)+ |
| Eleocharis (Am. Af, As)+ | Rubus (Am, Af, As, E)+ |
| Eleagnus (As, E)+ | Rumex (Am. Af, As, E) |
| Eleusine (Af. As)+ | Sambucus (Am, Af. As, E)+ |
| Eragrostis (Am, Af)+ | Sesbania (Am, Af. As)+ |
| Eriochloa (Af, As)+ | Solanum (Am, Af, As, E, O)+ |
| Eucalyptus (#) | Sorghum (Af, As)+ |
| Eugenia (Af, As, O)+ | Spondias (Am, Af, As, O)+ |
| Ficus (Am, Af, As, O)+ | Sporobolus (Am, Af) |
| Gardnia (Af, As, O)+ | Tacca (Ac, O)+ |
| Gastrodia | Terminalia (As, O)+ |
| Geranium (Am, As, E)+ | Trigonella (As)+ |
| Glycine (As, O)+ | Typha (Am, Af, As, E, O)+ |
| Grewia (Af, As. O) | Vigna (Af, As, O)+ |
| Haemadorum | Vitex (Am, Af, As, O)+ |
| Hibiscus (Am, Af, As, O)+ | Vitis (Am, As, E)+ |
| Ipomoea (Am, Af, As, O)+ | Zamia (O) |
| Lagemyia (Am, Af, As, O)+ | Zizyphus (Af, As)+ |
a Abbreviations in parentheses indicate species harvested in the wild in addition to Australia: Am = America, Af = Africa, As = Asia, E = Europe, O= Oceania, #
