''Eustrephus'' is a

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

genus (i.e. a genus that contains a single species) in the family

Asparagaceae Asparagaceae (), known as the asparagus family, is a family of flowering plants, placed in the order Asparagales of the monocots. The family name is based on the edible garden asparagus, '' Asparagus officinalis''. This family includes both ...

, subfamily

Lomandroideae Lomandroideae is a subfamily of monocot flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, order Asparagales, according to the APG III system of 2009. The subfamily name is derived from the generic name of the type genus, '' Lomandra''. The group has ...

. The sole species is ''Eustrephus latifolius'', commonly known as wombat berry. It is an evergreen vine native to

Malesia Malesia is a biogeographical region straddling the Equator and the boundaries of the Indomalayan and Australasian realms. It is a phytogeographical floristic region in the Paleotropical kingdom. It was first recognized as a distinct region ...

, the

Pacific Islands The Pacific islands are a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term ''Pacific Islands'' may refer to one of several ...

and eastern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. It grows in

sclerophyll Sclerophyll is a type of vegetation that is adapted to long periods of dryness and heat. The plants feature hard leaves, short Internode (botany), internodes (the distance between leaves along the stem) and leaf orientation which is parallel or ...

forest,

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with woody plants (trees and shrubs), or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunli ...

heathlands A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and is characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a coole ...

, shrublands,

gallery forest A gallery forest is one formed as a corridor along rivers or wetlands, projecting into landscapes that are otherwise only sparsely treed such as savannas, grasslands, or deserts. The gallery forest maintains a more temperate microclimate above th ...

and

rainforest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...

s. The leaves are highly variable in shape, elliptic to linear, long and wide. All leaf veins are equally distinct. Flowers are pink to mauve or white. The yellow-orange, globose, capsules are diameter and contain numerous black seeds partly enclosed in a white aril. The variation in the shapes of the leaves has resulted in the creation of numerous infraspecific taxa over the years, none of which are recognised by most present-day systematists.

Uses

The tubers are eaten baked, and have an earthy sweet flavour. The 1889 book 'The Useful Native Plants of Australia’ records that Eustrephus latifolius is a "climber produces sweet though only small tubers, which, however, are probably capable of enlargement through culture (Mueller)."

Gallery

File:McKay Eustrephus latifolius 32392729721 756ca669ce o.jpg, Foliage and fruit File:Wombat berry flower bud snowy river by Echidna Walkabout.jpg, Flowers, and very broad leaves File:Eustrephus latifolius fruit.jpg, Plant with long narrow leaves File:P1240694 - Flickr - gailhampshire.jpg, Fruit: black seed in white aril

References

Bushfood Flora of Queensland Flora of New South Wales Flora of Victoria (state) Asparagales of Australia Monotypic Asparagaceae genera Lomandroideae {{Australia-plant-stub