Sterculia quadrifida, also known as the peanut tree, monkey nut[3] or red-fruited kurrajong is a small tree that grows in the rainforests, vine thickets, and gallery forests of New Guinea and northern Australia.[4]
| Peanut tree | |
|---|---|
| |
| Seed capsule and seeds | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malvales |
| Family: | Malvaceae |
| Genus: | Sterculia |
| Species: | S. quadrifida
|
| Binomial name | |
| Sterculia quadrifida | |
The tree grows to a height of 30 m (98 ft)[5] and has a spreading deciduous canopy. The bark is a light grey and the leaves are dark green and broad egg-shaped or sometimes heart-shaped at the base. The flowers, which are greenish-yellow and are borne in small clusters in the upper axils, occur from November to January (summer in Australia).
Seed pods are orange outside and orange or red inside when ripe. These pods contain up to 8 black seeds that are edible and taste like raw peanuts.[6]
The bitter black coating on the seeds is removed before consumption.
Alternative common names for this species include kuman, orange-fruited kurrajong, orange-fruited sterculia, red-fruited kurrajong, smooth-seeded kurrajong, white crowsfoot and small-flowered kurrajong.
The bark is used by Aboriginal people in their traditional weaving techniques to make baskets and other products.
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S. quadrifida aspect. -
S. quadrifida flowers. -
S. quadrifida ripe fruit and foliage.
References
edit- ^ Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) & IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group. (2018). "Sterculia quadrifida". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T136089280A136089282. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T136089280A136089282.en. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ "Sterculia quadrifida". Australian Plant Name Index (APNI). Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ Records of the South Australian Museum. Vol. 27–28. 1993. p. 38. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- ^ F.A.Zich; B.P.M.Hyland; T.Whiffen; R.A.Kerrigan (2020). "Sterculia quadrifida". Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants Edition 8 (RFK8). Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ Cooper, Wendy; Cooper, William T. (June 2004). Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest. Clifton Hill, Victoria, Australia: Nokomis Editions. p. 534. ISBN 9780958174213. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ Across the Top - Gardening with Australian Plants in the Tropics, Keith Townshend ISBN 0-909830-46-0