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

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

and Australia.

Description

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 taste like raw peanuts.''Across the Top - Gardening with Australian Plants in the Tropics'', Keith Townshend

Common names

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.

Distribution

It grows in the

rainforest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...

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

and northern Australia.

Uses

The bitter black coating on the edible seeds is removed before consumption. The bark is used by

indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...

in their traditional weaving techniques to make baskets and other products. File:Sterculia quadrifida tree.jpg, Tree File:Sterculia quadrifida flowers and foliage.jpg, Flowers File:Sterculia quadrifida fruit with foliage.jpg, Ripe fruit

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