What does burrawang mean?
The burrawang is a large, palm-like cycad native to eastern Australia, most commonly referring to Macrozamia communis, a species abundant in the forests and coastal scrub of New South Wales. Though its crown of stiff, glossy, feather-like fronds gives it the look of a palm or tree fern, the burrawang is neither — it belongs to the cycads, an ancient group of seed plants whose lineage stretches back to the age of the dinosaurs. The word comes from an Aboriginal Australian language of the Sydney region and remains in use chiefly in Australian English, appearing in discussions of botany, gardening, and bushland. Burrawangs are slow-growing, long-lived, and drought-tolerant, which makes them valued in native landscaping. A note of caution attaches to the plant: its bright seeds contain toxins and were traditionally rendered edible by Aboriginal peoples only through careful leaching. As both a botanical term and a piece of Indigenous-derived vocabulary, the burrawang connects modern Australian English to the continent's deep ecological and cultural history.
nounA large Australian cycad of the genus Macrozamia, especially Macrozamia communis, native to eastern Australia and resembling a palm or fern with stiff, glossy fronds.
- A cycad of the genus Macrozamia native to eastern Australia, particularly Macrozamia communis.
"The bushland was dotted with burrawangs, their dark green crowns rising above the undergrowth."
"The fire-scarred hillside still held stands of ancient burrawangs."
"Aboriginal peoples of New South Wales knew how to leach toxins from burrawang seeds before eating them."
Regular plural formation; commonly used when describing stands or populations of the plant in the wild.
"The reserve protects one of the largest remaining groves of burrawangs in the state."
The burrawang looks like a palm and grows like one, but it's actually a living fossil — a cycad whose lineage predates the dinosaurs.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of burrawang
The word 'burrawang' derives from an Aboriginal Australian language of the Sydney region — generally identified as Dharuk (the local language recorded by early colonists) — and entered English during the early colonial period in New South Wales as settlers catalogued the distinctive flora around them. It names a cycad of the genus Macrozamia rather than a true palm, despite its palm-like appearance. No widely attested cognates exist in standard English vocabulary, since the term is a direct borrowing from an Australian language for an endemic Australian plant.
How burrawang is actually used
The word is used almost exclusively in Australia, especially New South Wales, where the plant is common. It typically refers to the whole plant rather than any single part. The seeds are highly toxic unless specially treated, so the term often carries associations with traditional Aboriginal food processing when discussed historically.
Easily confused with burrawang
A bangalow is a small Australian palm (Archontophoenix cunninghamiana) that resembles a burrawang but is a true flowering palm rather than a cycad.
The sago palm is a tropical cycad of the genus Cycas; like the burrawang it has toxic seeds but belongs to a different genus.