Bush Onions and Wild Flowers Black

Artist Jane Doolan resides in Alice Springs.  In this design Jane has painted bush onions (cyperus bulbosus) and wild flowers in separate garden beds.  In winter, after the rain, new flowers become abundant.  These become very decorative with bright yellow, pink and lavender colours.

Wild bush onions have small bulb like onions, long slender green leaves, like thick blades of grass and have a distinct onion smell.  The bulbs offer a pungent onion flavour, however the green tops are milder.  These can be eaten raw and are considered an important food for Kimberly Aboriginal people.

People gather bush onions by digging in the sand.  The best time to gather bush onions is in April/May.  Bush onions are also a favourite food for native birds such as brolgas.