CASSOWARY food trees by Dr Matt Bradford, CSIRO
Cassowaries prefer fallen fruit, but will eat small vertebrates, invertebrates, fungi, carrion and plants. Over 238 species of plants have been recorded in the southern cassowary’s diet. Cassowaries are the only native animal capable of spreading certain large-seeded rainforest plants, and they play a critical role in maintaining the diversity of rainforest trees in the landscape.

This list is in the process of being updated.

Abrophyllum ornans

Aceratium doggrellii

Aceratium ferrugineum

Aceratium megalospermum

Aceratium sericoleopsis

Acmena divaricata

Acmena graveolens

Acmena hemilampra subsp. hemilampra

Acmena smithii

Acmenosperma claviflorum

Acronychia acidula

Acronychia acronychioides

Acronychia vestita

Aglaia sapindina

Alocasia brisbanensis

Alphitonia petriei

Alphitonia whitei

Alpinia arctiflora

Alpinia caerulea

Alpinia modesta

Alyxia spicata

Amoora ferruginea

Amylotheca dictyophleba

Annona glabra

Antidesma erostre

Antirhea tenuiflora

Apodytes brachystylis

Archontophoenix alexandrae

Ardisia brevipedata

Ardisia pachyrrhachis

Atractocarpus fitzalanii subsp. fitzalanii

Austrobaileya scandens

Barringtonia calyptrata

Beilschmiedia bancroftii

Beilschmiedia collina

Beilschmiedia oligandra

Beilschmiedia recurva

Beilschmiedia tooram

Beilschmiedia volckii

Bleasdalea bleasdalei

Calamus australis

Calamus hollrungii

Calamus moti

Calamus radicalis

Calophyllum costatum

Calophyllum sil

Cananga odorata

Canarium muelleri

Canarium vitiense

Canthium coprosmoides

Carnarvonia araliifolia

Castanospermum australe

Castanospora alphandii

Cayratia clematidea

Cerbera floribunda

Cerbera inflata

Chionanthus axillaris

Chionanthus ramiflora

Chrysophyllum sp. Mt Lewis

Cinnamomum laubatii

Cissus antarctica

Cissus penninervis

Citronella smythii

Cordyline cannifolia

Cordyline fruticosa

Corynocarpus cribbianus

Cryptocarya corrugata

Cryptocarya densiflora

Cryptocarya endiandrifolia

Cryptocarya grandis

Cryptocarya hypospodia

Cryptocarya leucophylla

Cryptocarya lividula

Cryptocarya mackinnoniana

Cryptocarya murrayi

Cryptocarya oblata

Cryptocarya pleurosperma

Cryptocarya vulgaris

Cycas media subsp. banksii

Davidsonia pruriens

Delarbrea michieana

Diospyros hebecarpa

Diplocyclos palmatus

Diploglottis bracteata

Diploglottis diphyllostegia

Diploglottis pedleyi

Dysoxylum alliaceum

Dysoxylum papuanum

Dysoxylum pettigrewianum

Elaeagnus triflora

Elaeocarpus arnhemicus

Elaeocarpus bancroftii

Elaeocarpus culminicola

Elaeocarpus eumundi

Elaeocarpus ferruginiflorus

Elaeocarpus foveolatus

Elaeocarpus grandis

Elaeocarpus johnsonii

Elaeocarpus largiflorens subsp. largiflorens

Elaeocarpus ruminatus

Elaeocarpus sp. Windsor Tableland

Elaeocarpus stellaris

Endiandra acuminata

Endiandra bessaphila

Endiandra compressa

Endiandra cowleyana

Endiandra hypotephra

Endiandra impressicosta

Endiandra insignis

Endiandra leptodendron

Endiandra longipedicellata

Endiandra microneura

Endiandra monothyra subsp. monothyra

Endiandra montana

Endiandra sankeyana

Endiandra sideroxylon

Endiandra wolfei

Erythroxylum ecarinatum

Eugenia reinwardtiana

Faradaya splendida

Ficus congesta

Ficus copiosa

Ficus crassipes

Ficus destruens

Ficus drupacea

Ficus hispida

Ficus leptoclada

Ficus obliqua

Ficus pleurocarpa

Ficus rubiginosa

Ficus variegata

Ficus virens var. virens

Ficus watkinsiana

Fontainea picrosperma

Galbulimima baccata

Ganophyllum falcatum

Garcinia gibbsiae

Gmelina dalrympleana

Gmelina fasciculiflora

Gomphandra australiana

Goniothalamus australis

Halfordia kendack

Hornstedtia scottiana

Hydriastele wendlandiana

Hypserpa laurina

Irvingbaileya australis

Lantana camara

Lepidozamia hopei

Licuala ramsayi

Linospadix microcarya

Linospadix minor

Lithomyrtus obtusa

Litsea leefeana

Litsea reticulata

Mackinlaya macrosciadea

Mallotus mollissimus

Mangifera indica

Melicope rubra

Melodinus australis

Melodorum leichhardtii

Mischocarpus pyriformis subsp. pyriformis

Morinda citrifolia

Musa banksii

Myristica globosa subsp. muelleri

Myristica insipida

Nauclea orientalis

Neolitsea dealbata

Niemeyera prunifera

Niemeyera sp. Mt Lewis

Normanbya normanbyi

Oraniopsis appendiculata

Otanthera bracteata

Pachygone longifolia

Palaquium galactoxylon

Pandanus conicus

Pandanus monticola

Parinari nonda

Passiflora sp.

Peripentadenia mearsii

Phaleria clerodendron

Physalis minima

Phytolacca octandra

Piper novae-hollandiae

Pittosporum rubiginosum

Pleiogynium timorense

Podocarpus dispermus

Podocarpus grayae

Polyalthia michaelii

Polyscias australiana

Polyscias elegans

Pothos longipes

Pouteria chartacea

Pouteria obovoidea

Prunus brachystachya

Prunus turneriana

Pseuduvaria froggattii

Psidium guajava

Psychotria dallachiana

Ptychosperma elegans

Rhodamnia sessiliflora

Rhodomyrtus pervagata

Rhodomyrtus trineura subsp. trineura

Rhysotoechia robertsonii

Rubus alceifolius

Rubus queenslandicus

Sarcotoechia protracta

Scaevola taccada

Schizomeria whitei

Semecarpus australiensis

Siphonodon membranaceus

Sloanea macbrydei

Smilax australis

Solanum dallachii

Solanum mauritianum

Solanum torvum

Strychnos minor

Sundacarpus amarus

Syzygium alliiligneum

Syzygium angophoroides

Syzygium cormiflorum

Syzygium forte subsp. forte

Syzygium johnsonii

Syzygium kuranda

Syzygium luehmannii

Syzygium papyraceum

Syzygium sayeri

Syzygium tierneyanum

Syzygium wesa

Terminalia arenicola

Terminalia catappa

Terminalia complanata

Terminalia muelleri

Terminalia sericocarpa

Tetrasynandra laxiflora

Toona ciliata

Trema orientalis

Trichosanthes pentaphylla

Tristemma mauritianum

Xanthophyllum octandrum

Ximenia americana

Bradford, M. G., Dennis, A.J., and Westcott D., (2008) Diet and Dietary Preferences of the Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) in North queensland Australia, Biotropica, 40(3):338-343.