What plant is this?

One of the many saltbushes it seems....maybe the seaberry ?
I have seen it in Central Oz....maybe the Flinders Ranges too.

Hi John

It is Ruby Saltbush and it is good bush tucker.

The fruit starts off small and green, and as it starts to matures, goes from yellow to a real ruby red colour. It is when the fruit is at its darkest, it is the time to pick and eat them.

Yes the fruit is safe to eat and is quite sweet.

And for the record, I have eaten them personally many times.


Cheers



Stephen

The flower looks like pomegranate seeds. Unlike Stephen i don't think I'd risk eating it.

cheers

Dunc

It's not Ruby Salt Bush (Enchylaena tomentosa). The fruit on Ruby Salt bush is evenly distributed throughout the plant and are not clustered on the ends of branches as shown in the photo. The plant can have green, yellow, orange and red berrys at the same time. It is a secondary food source like lollies. Aboriginals would walk past a bush and with open fingers and sieve the red ripe fruits into their hand. They are sweet, have round succulent leaves and grow through out the desert regions of Australia. Eat the flesh and spit the reasonably large seed out as they can leave a bitter taste in your mouth. (The seed)
The plant in question appears to be of the Rhagodia genus, maybe "spinescens" species. (Spiny saltbush). They have all the berrys clustered at the end of certain branches as shown and are all the same colour at any one time. There are three species of Rhagodia found in Centralia Australia and are only found in Australia. The only reference of Aboriginal use I have found, is the young girls rubbing the berries in their hair to make it red. I don't believe the berrys are edible.
Just my two bobs worth!