Black Bean (Castanospermum australe)

Botanical Information:

Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Castanospermum
Species: australe

Meaning of name:
Castanospermum is from Latin: castanea, chestnut; and Greek: sperma, seed. A reference to the chestnut-like seed
australe is from Latin: australe, southern. A reference to its southern hemisphere location

Castanospermum australe is the only species in the genus Castanospermum. Its native habitat is the coastal rainforests and beaches along the coast from northern New South Wales around Lismore, up to the Cape York Peninsula at the tip of Queensland. It also extends inland some 160km west to the Bunya Mountains in southern Queensland.

Common names are the Black Bean and the Moreton Bay Chestnut. The tree can reach 40m (130 feet) at maturity and develop a dense, rounded canopy with a spread of 4m to 8m (13 to 26 feet). It is an ideal shade tree in parks and gardens and its extensive root system helps stabilise river banks from erosion.

The 4cm (1.5 inches) long red and yellow flowers appear in mid to late spring, followd by large pods up to 20cm long by about 5cm wide (8 inches by 2 inches). Each pod contains 3 to 5 large bean like seeds weighing around 30g (1 ounce) each.

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