– Description:
– Also known as the peanut tree, monkey nut, or red-fruited kurrajong
– Grows in rainforests, vine thickets, and gallery forests of New Guinea and northern Australia
– Can reach a height of 30m (98ft) with a spreading deciduous canopy
– Bark is light grey, leaves are dark green and broad egg-shaped or heart-shaped
– Flowers are greenish-yellow, borne in small clusters in the upper axils from November to January
– Seed Pods:
– Orange outside and orange or red inside when ripe
– Contain up to 8 black edible seeds tasting like raw peanuts
– Seeds have a bitter black coating that is removed before consumption
– Alternative common names include kuman, orange-fruited kurrajong, and smooth-seeded kurrajong
– Aboriginal people use the bark in traditional weaving techniques to make baskets and other products
– Uses:
– Aboriginal people utilize the bark for weaving techniques
– Alternative common names include white crowsfoot and small-flowered kurrajong
– The tree is a source of edible seeds that taste like raw peanuts
– The bitter black coating on the seeds needs to be removed before consumption
– The tree is found in rainforests, vine thickets, and gallery forests of New Guinea and northern Australia
– References:
– Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) & IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group
– Sterculia quadrifida in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
– Australian Plant Name Index (APNI) by the Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government
– Records of the South Australian Museum
– Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest by Wendy Cooper and William T. Cooper
– Habitat and Distribution:
– Grows in rainforests, vine thickets, and gallery forests of New Guinea and northern Australia
– Found in Australia and New Guinea
– Can reach a height of 30m (98ft) with a spreading deciduous canopy
– Flowers are greenish-yellow and borne in small clusters in the upper axils
– Seed pods are orange outside and orange or red inside when ripe