''Sterculia quadrifida'', also known as the peanut tree, or red-fruited kurrajong is a small tree that grows in the

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

s, vine thickets, and

gallery forest A gallery forest is one formed as a corridor along rivers or wetlands, projecting into landscapes that are otherwise only sparsely treed such as savannas, grasslands, or deserts. The gallery forest maintains a more temperate microclimate above th ...

s of

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torres ...

and northern

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

. The tree grows to a height of 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.''Across the Top - Gardening with Australian Plants in the Tropics'', Keith Townshend 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 Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

in their traditional weaving techniques to make baskets and other products. File:Sterculia quadrifida tree.jpg, ''S. quadrifida aspect.'' File:Sterculia quadrifida flowers and foliage.jpg, ''S. quadrifida'' flowers. File:Sterculia quadrifida fruit with foliage.jpg, ''S. quadrifida'' ripe fruit and foliage.

References

External links

PlantNet reference
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4118238 quadrifida Trees of Australia Flora of Queensland Australian Aboriginal bushcraft Malvales of Australia Edible nuts and seeds Bushfood