Native Peanut Tree fruit (photo courtesy Rare Fruit Club WA - rarefruitclub.org.au)
Native Peanut Tree
Sterculia quadrifida
Malvaceae family
The Native Peanut Tree is native to northern Australia and is an Indigenous bush food. It is also known as the Red-fruited Kurrajong, and is in the same family as Hibiscus and Cacao.
Seed pods form between November and January and are an attractive bright orange/red colour, ready to harvest when they are starting to split. Each pod produces a few black seeds, which, when the bitter black coating is removed, may be eaten raw or roasted, resembling raw peanuts in taste - making a great snack, or as a sprinkle for ice cream or salads. The leaves of the Native Peanut Tree are not edible.
Tree Maintenance
Sterculia quadrifida
Malvaceae family
The Native Peanut Tree is native to northern Australia and is an Indigenous bush food. It is also known as the Red-fruited Kurrajong, and is in the same family as Hibiscus and Cacao.
Seed pods form between November and January and are an attractive bright orange/red colour, ready to harvest when they are starting to split. Each pod produces a few black seeds, which, when the bitter black coating is removed, may be eaten raw or roasted, resembling raw peanuts in taste - making a great snack, or as a sprinkle for ice cream or salads. The leaves of the Native Peanut Tree are not edible.
Tree Maintenance
- Prune in winter to maintain a height of 2.5 to 3. 5m.
- Apply chicken manure and crusher dust (for minerals) twice per year.
- Mulch around the base of the tree, leaving a gap around the trunk to avoid collar rot.
Native Peanut Tree at LCG December 2024 (photo credit: Jacqui Lachmann)
Native Peanut Tree at LCG August 2022 (photo credit: Graham Bond)
