What is Gumby Gumby?
Gumby Gumby is a rare member of the botanical family Pittosporum. It is a shrub or small tree native to Australia. Whilst six varieties can be found in the state of Queensland alone, it is wise to be careful when harvesting Gumby Gumby leaves as some of the varieties are toxic and only a few have a good, aromatic taste and are beneficial.
Gumby Gumby is extremely rare, as only one edible tree is found growing naturally in an average of 400 sq/km (250 sq/miles) and it is not being farmed to any large extent.
Currently there exists a cottage industry whereby people scour the bush collecting leaves and selling them to the public at markets, etc. Unfortunately there is no guarantee that what is offered is, in fact, the correct variety or has any aromatic taste.
There are many names for Gumby Gumby products and it doesn't matter how they are called - Gumby Gumby Tea, Gumby Gumby Liquid, Gumby Gumby Extract, Gumby Gumby Tonic, Gumby Gumby Tincture, Gumby Gumby Concentrate, Gumby Gumby Oil, Gumby Gumby Capsules Gumby Gumby Pills Gumby Gumby Tablets, Gumby Gumby Salve, Gumby Gumby Cream, Gumby Gumby Lotion, Gumby Gumby Bath or Gumby Gumby Bubble Bath. We can guarantee that all our Gumby Gumby products are made 100% from the original Gumby Gumby (Pittosporum angustifolium) leaves. (See "Variety 1" below).
We have chosen to refer to our products by our invented and then wildly spread name Gumby Gumby.
Gumby Gumby is the name invented by us for one particular variety of tree (Pittosporum angustifolium which was in 1999 named and wrote in the dust in front of us as "cumpi cumpi" by an Aborigine elder's medicine woman in the Emerald Queensland area.
For simplicity, the use of the name has been extended to cover three varieties with good flavour, found in Central Queensland.
These trees are drought and frost resistant with a deep root and have an erect form growing 7 to 8 meters in height. The most common of these has a blackbutt. They thrive in good soil and like plenty of water. They will survive in most soil types.
Central Queensland Varieties
Variety 1 - The original Gumby Gumby tree. This tree is not common. It has a smooth grey white bark with silver white speckles. The smooth bark is continuous into the ground. This is an erect form of the species with a deep taproot. It grows to 25 ft with a compact crown and a spread to 8 - 10 ft. The leaves are long and very narrow with a ratio of about 15 : 1.
Variety 2 - This tree is most common. It closely resembles variety 1, but has a rough blackbutt from as little as 6 inches to 3 feet or more.
Variety 3 - This tree is similar to variety 2. The silver white speckle and the area around it is raised (like mole). The leaf is large with a ratio of about 10 : 1.
Variety 4 - (Very bitter/Too Strong) This tree is similar to variety 2, but has black blotches on the bark.
Variety 5 - (Very mild/Not strong enough) Similar to variety 2. It has a grey rough butt instead of black. It has the largest of the leaves and flower for a longer time any other.
Variety 6 - (Unknown taste) Only one of these trees is known to exist in Central Queensland It has a shorter trunk with spreading dense foliage. The bark is similar to variety 4. The silver white speckle only is raised.
- - Pittosporum Angustifolium
- - Pittosporum Phylliraeoides
- - Gumby Gumby
- - Gumbi Gumbi
- - Cumbi Cumbi
- - Gumbi
- - Native Apricot
- - Weeping Pittosporum
- - Meemeei
- - Cattle Bush
- - Bitter Bush
- - Butter Bush
- - Berrigan
