Sterculia quadrifida

Peanut Tree

Sterculiaceae

Form and Size: A small, straight tree, usually 5-10m high, with a spreading canopy; deciduous

Distribution: Across northern tropical Australia and down the east coast to northern N.S.W.; in monsoon forests, vine thickets and along waterways.

Leaves: Broadly egg-shaped, sometimes heart-shaped at the base, dark green and smooth above, paler and finely hairy with tiny pores beneath, veins prominent, clustered towards the ends of branchlets, 9-20cm x 5-17cm; stalk 4-10cm long.

Bark: Light grey, tight, smooth.

 Flowers: Greenish-yellow, softly hairy, somewhat bell-shaped, 0.5-1.0cm x 0.4-0.6cm; borne in small clusters in the upper axils.

Flowering Period: November to January.

 Fruit: Follicles, smooth, leathery, egg-shaped, 4-7cm x 2-3cm, orange to red when ripe, opening when ripe to boat-shape, bright red inside; up to 8 shiny black seeds the size and shape of a peanut.

 Cultivation/Notes: Propagate from seed. Hardy and fairly fast growing, it will prosper in most well drained soils. Useful as a shade or shelter tree and good for coastal stabilisation work. The seeds are edible and many parts of the tree were used by Aborigines.