My own 'Bush Tucker' tree - Sterculia quadrifida.

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After adding some information about ‘bush tucker’ to some photos posted by Delonix, I realised I could post information about my very own ‘bush tucker’ tree that’s growing in my courtyard.

The definition of ‘bush tucker’ would be: edible, native Australian flora and fauna present before European colonisation which is harvested or hunted in the bush.

Now the tree in my courtyard is found in dry rainforests from the Richmond River in New South Wales to northern Australia and Papua New Guinea. The tree grows to a height of 5 -10 metres and has a spreading deciduous canopy. Here it is in my courtyard garden:

COMMON NAME: Peanut Tree
BOTANIC NAME: Sterculia quadrifida
FAMILY: Malvaceae / Sterculiaceae

This native tree is deciduous during winter and when flowering. Around Townsville (my area of north Queensland) they shed their leaves in about May (depending on the extent of the Wet season) and then regrow them after they’ve fruited, usually around August-September.

This means there’s a lot of mess lying around the courtyard for many months!!

The bark is a light grey and the leaves are dark green and broad egg-shaped or sometimes heart-shaped at the base. They are simple leaves, about 9 × 6 cm, alternate in whorls.

New growth appears after flowering or even later depending on how water stressed the tree is – especially during the drought years.

The flower is inconspicuous, creamy-white and lemon-scented. They are borne in small clusters in the upper axils, and occur from November to January (summer in Australia).

The distinctive feature is the fruit. The fruits are clusters of large, leathery, boat-shaped pods up to 8 cm long which, change from green to an eye-catching red at maturity.
Green pods:

Changing to red:

At this stage it splits open to reveal black seeds about the size of a peanut. The seeds are edible but the seed coat or testa should be removed first.
Popping open:

Seeds:

The edible seed is called ‘egng edndan’ in Uw Oykangand and Uw Olkola; ‘mayi pinta’ in Pakanh – traditional languages of the Aboriginal people in central Cape York Peninsula. Their colloquial name for this tree is ‘Monkeynut Tree’.

The pods stay open for quite some time – looking a bit like a flower and then they drop off. The remains of old fruits may be found on the ground for awhile – especially if I haven’t hosed off the courtyard that day or week!

According to some sources, 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. The inner bark of this tree is also important to them as a source of string, used for rope, fishing nets and fishing line.

Anyway that’s the story of my own bush tucker tree!

• 11 Jul, 2009
• 11 likes

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