Horticultural development of Australian native edible plants

The Australian native edible plant industry is rapidly expanding. We provid e a review of the horticultural research that has been carried out on the t op 14 commercially significant Australian native edible plants; Acacia spp. Miller (wattle), Acronychia acidula F. Muell. (lemon aspen), Backhousia ci triodora F. Muell. (lemon myrtle), Eremocitrus glauca (Lindl.) Burkill (des ert lime) and Microcitrus spp. Swingle (native lime), Hibiscus heterophyllu s Vent. and Hibiscus sabdariffa L. (rosella), Kunzea pomifera F. Muell. (mu ntries), Podocarpus elatus R. Br. ex Endl. (Illawarra plum), Prostanthera s pp. La Billardiere (native mint), Santalum acuminatum R. Br. (quandong), So lanum centrale Black (bush tomato), Syzygium leuhmannii F. Muell. (riberry) , Tasmannia spp. R. Br. (native pepper), Terminalia ferdinandiana (= T. lat ipes Benth. subsp. psilocarpa Pedley) (kakadu plum) and Tetragonia tetragon ioides (Pallas) Kuntze (warrigal greens). The research on most of these spe cies has focused on propagation, breeding, cultivation, nutritional value a nd the isolation of natural products. On none of the species has research b een completed in all these areas, and three species have no research publis hed on them. We describe horticultural research on two other commercial spe cies, Backhousia anisata Vickery (aniseed myrtle) and Davidsonia pruriens F . Muell. var. pruriens and var. jerseyana (Davidson's plum), and one specie s with commercial potential, Pringlea antiscorbutica R. Br. ex Hook. f. (ke rguelen cabbage). We identify areas that require further research and issue s of concern, such as indigenous intellectual property rights and environme ntal implications.