Moreton Bay Chestnut Bean Tree

This appears to be Castanospermum australe, a medium to large tree 10-30m (30-90') found growing in rainforests and coastal scrubs from Cape York in Queensland to central NSW. It has a grey smooth bark, green pinnate leaves and red and yellow large pea flowers. The seed pods are quite large containing 2-5 large chestnut like seeds/pod. The large trees have a beautiful canopy but are slow growing when young. The seed germinates readily and they make great indoor house plants for many years.The seeds are eaten by various native marsupials and rodents and the Aborigines have been known to eat them at times. The are regarded as being poisonous and are known to kill cattle. The can make humans sick with severe stomach cramps and diarrhoea.