Flowering Gumnuts by Grace Brown - This highly detailed traditional dot painting is from the 'Desert Wildflower Series' by Grace Brown Original Aboriginal dot painting on quality stretched canvas.
Did you know that Australia is home to over 24,000 species of weird and wonderful native plants. Well, it’s true!
Gumtree Eucalyptus, there are many different species across Australia, and they have many uses – for tools, weapons, shelter, nectar from the flowers, even the seeds were sometimes eaten. Medically, they have several uses other than just for their beauty.
Grace loves to walk on country and see all the beautiful gumtrees exploding into fuzzy balls of blooms. The different colours are amazing but white is her absolute favourite.
Traditional Aboriginal society used a wide range of Australian native plants as bush foods and medicines. They used several species of Eucalyptus as tonics for gastro-intestinal symptoms and many other conditions, with the peppermint gum being well known.
The Lemon-scented gum, are used as a natural insecticide for troublesome mosquitoes.
The Tasmanian Bluegum are used to treatment of back conditions and rheumatism, inhaled for headaches, or drunk as an infusion to treat colds.
The Coolabah found along waterways in the Far North and Far West zone of the state are used to treat both snake bite and severe headache.
Resin was collected in crystallised and liquid form from damaged ghost gums, boiled and used as a powerful disinfectant in the treatment of cuts, sores, cramps and pains.
The Manna Gum, it too was useful in the treatment of ophthalmia, and like most species so far, effective in treating diarrhoea.
There are many many more uses of these amazing trees.
It is hard to imagine in the growth of our nation, what the landscape looked like before white settlement. However, Grace is sure the sight would have been magnificent, even overpowering. As people today lean more and more towards sustainable agriculture, permaculture and self-sufficiency, traditional bush foods and their medicinal properties will become more pronounced once again.
Most of all the beautiful flowering gums were just so amazing even to just to look at, Grace said.
Prints available soon.
Enjoy!