Murnong

The murnong or yam daisy is any of the plants Microseris walteri, Microseris lanceolata and Microseris scapigera, which are an important food source for many Aboriginal peoples in southern parts of Australia. Murnong is a Woiwurrung word for the plant, used by the Wurundjeri people and possibly other clans of the Kulin nation. They are called by a variety of names in the many different Aboriginal Australian languages, and occur in many oral traditions as part of Dreamtime stories.

The tubers were often dug out with digging sticks and cooked before eating. They were widespread and deliberately cultivated by Aboriginal peoples in some areas, but the hoofed animals introduced by early settlers to Australia destroyed vast areas of habitat, leading to calamitous results for the Indigenous people. The shortage of food led to Aboriginal people stealing food from settlers, in a cycle of violence known as the Australian frontier wars. The township of Myrniong in Victoria was named after the murnong.

In the 21st century there has been a revival and recultivation of the plant, and an honouring of it in art.