Black Bean / Moreton Bay Chestnut
Origin of name
Family:
- Castanospermum meaning “chestnut-like seed“
- australe meaning “southern“
Occurrence
Grows in well-developed rainforest and gallery forest along creeks and rivers.
Hardy, but does best in deep, rich soil with good drainage. Good shade tree for large areas. Plant at least 10m from underground structures, to avoid trouble from extensive root system. Does well as indoor container plant.
Appearance
Large tree (10-30m) with a dense canopy. Large clumps of red-yellow, pea-type flowers (Sep-Nov) occur on the old, leafless wood and are followed by long, cylindrical, woody pods containing 3-5 chestnut-like seeds.
Indigenous use: Seeds eaten after extensive processing. Spectacular flowers produce nectar that attracts butterflies, birds & bats. Timber is considered desirable. Caterpillars of Pencilled Blue butterfly eat the leaves.
