The number one medicine tree of all
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Ventilago viminalis .
Ventiago l.ventilo to fan swing ,refering to the winged fruits .
Viminalis l.vimin tough,flexible branch like willow used in basket -work .
Common name ;supple jack.
Aboriginal name ;barndarragu or biny.
The seedling is a climber which latter becomes self supporting growing
To 5-8 meters tall .a good example can be seen near the fence at the wardens residence.
Uses ; bark is soaked ,mashed and placed on open sores and cuts.
also placed on rheumatic pains ,tooth -ache and on fungal complaints.
medicine bark ,supplejack ,barnarragu ,biny =aug
ventilago viminalis =SEP –NOV
bark used to heal fungal complaints.
No.1medicine tree ;used to heal almost everything!(bark is soaked
In water and mashed to make a decoction which is applied to open sores and cuts,for rheumatism and for tooth-ache ;even ,some say ,as a hair restorer for bald men.)
Ventilago Viminalis . The name is pronounced vent-il-ay-go.
It is usually found as a small tree ,and locally can be found up to 5 meters tall.The normal distribution ranges across the Southern Kimberly into the central N.T and Qeensland.
Ventilago bark is dark brown ,with the trunk rough and fissured .The goliage is dark green and drooping and forms a broad crown .Small pale-green flowers ,occuring in sparse pinacles ,form at the ends of branchlets ,and in nearby leaf axils. The seeds ,each a single -seeded nut have a distinctive wing that forms opposite the seed -stem. These winged seeds are a bright yellowish-green ,and contrast markedly with the dark green leaves .This two-tone colouration can be seen at a distance ,making it easy to identify local trees are finishing their flowering now ,beginning to form their winged seed-crop ,and so this is the best time to spot this particular species .
The plant has been known locally as bandarrang ,bandarragu,and giny,and it is most commonly known as "medicine bark"or "medicine tree".People in other parts of Australia know it as Supple-jack, from its earlytwining habit, the seedling being first a climber ,and later becoming a self supporting.
The bark of this no.1 Medicine Tree was gathered often off the roots ,and a decoction was prepared by mashing and soaking in water. These days ,this mixture is often boiled to speed the process .The applied externally for sores ,swellings ,skin rashes ,bruises, sprains ,insect bites ,rheumatism, coldsick and
Toothache. It was even clamed to be a hair restoring agent.
The bark contains anthraquinone derivatives,and some of these may be responsible for the bactericidal properties of this popular bush medicine .
Bandarrang was also burnt to form ash ,which was then mixed with native tobacco and chewed, making it 'cheeky'.
The dark brown wood is extremely hard ,heavy ,and close grained ,and was sometimes used for Boomerangs .The gum is also reputed to be edible .
Ventilago grows as scattered individuals in open -woodland ,and prefers
The arid to semi-arid regions of northern Australia .It is an excellent fodder species ,very palatable with a moderate nutritive value. It also is a favoured shade tree for cattle, and is drought-tolerant and fire-resistant. A good useful tree.
Ventilago viminals Hooker Medicine bark or supple-jack
Tree to 5m, bark dark brown, fissured, flaking off in irregular chunks ;
Leaves dark olive green, linear-lanceolate with prominent creamish midvein
On the undersurface; flowers yellowish green borne at the ends of the branchlets;fruit and nut, globular at the base and extended upwards into an oblong or linear coriaceous, bright yellowish green wing, contrasting markedly with the dark green leaves. This two-tone coloration can be seen at a distance, making them easy to identify.
Common in pindan at Repulse Point and Poinciana well. Localised on the southern half of the Peninsula. Also occurs in NT, SA. Qld and NSW. Bardi name =bandarang. Wood used for boomerangs (djiwa);bark root boiled and used to make medicine. The bark of this tree is considered to be one of the most important bush medicines. A decoction was prepared, often using roots.
Bark which was mashed, then soaked in water. These days the mixture is often boiled to speed the process. The finished infusion is like a dark purple tea and was applied externally for sores.
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