Sterculia quadrifida (STERCULIACEAE) Peanut Tree

Medium tree to 6 – 18 m with simple, alternate leaves in pseudo-whorls, 5-12 cm, shiny bright green with long petioles. Deciduous in cooler areas. Requires good drainage and can withstand drought by means of a water conserving root tuber.

Compared to the dramatic fruit, relatively inconspicuous, creamy-white, lemon-scented flowers November to January.

Large, eye-catching red fruit with about 8 or more shiny black seeds. Raw or roasted seeds taste similar to peanuts. Sap used by Aborigines in northern Australia to treat wounds and stings.

The Sterculiaceae include some towering tropical trees from South America. The name comes from Stercules, the god of rubbish dumps, for the unpleasant odour of some species.