Scientific Name: Castanospermum Australae
Common Name: Black Bean
Turrbal Name: Mei (Petrie, 1904)
Kabi Kabi Name: Maiba (Winterbotham)
Dungidau Name: Wananbi (Winterbotham)
Indigenous Use
Nuts cracked and soaked in water for 8-10 days, dried, roasted and pounded to remove toxins then soaked in running water. This was repeated three times. WARNING: Seeds poisonous raw.
Colonial Use
Timber was used in cabinet making and in electrical switchboards.
When to Use
The seeds of Castanospermum australe typically ripen in late summer to autumn.
Identification
Leaves: The leaves of Castanospermum australe are compound and typically range from 25-60 cm in length. They consist of 9-19 oblong-elliptic leaflets, each measuring 7-20 cm long and 3-5 cm wide. The leaflets have entire margins and are glabrous, with a glossy dark green upper surface and a paler, dull lower surface (PlantNET, 2024; Australian National Botanic Gardens, 2024).
Bark: The bark of Castanospermum australe is dark brown, smooth or wrinkled, with lighter transverse brown lines and longitudinal lines of grey blisters. This distinctive bark texture can help in identifying the tree, especially in older specimens (Lucidcentral, 2024).
Flowers: The flowers of Castanospermum australe are pea-shaped and can be yellow, orange, or red, measuring 30-40 mm in length. They are arranged in racemes that are 5-15 cm long, with each flower supported by a pedicel 20-35 mm long. The flowers bloom in spring, adding a splash of colour to the tree’s foliage (PlantNET, 2024; Lucidcentral, 2024).
Fruit: The fruit of Castanospermum australe is a large, woody pod, typically 10-20 cm long and 4-6 cm in diameter. The pods are glabrous and contain 1-5 large, brown seeds, each about 30 mm in diameter. These seeds are buoyant and can be dispersed by water (Australian National Botanic Gardens, 2024; Lucidcentral, 2024).
Ecosystems
Found in the below ecosystem/s.
Rainforests: Sub-tropical rainforests usually consist of three strata of trees with up to 60 species making up the canopy, many with large leaves. Palms and strangler figs are common and the undergrowth is luxuriant with many epiphytic or terrestrial ferns and orchids and abundant large climbers of many species. In Queensland, rainforests can be found in well-known locations like the Daintree Rainforest, Lamington National Park, and Mary Caincross Park.
References
Australian National Botanic Gardens (2024). Castanospermum australe. Available at: https://www.anbg.gov.au/cpbr/cd-keys/peakey/key/The%20Pea%20Key/Media/Html/nomenclature/Canavalia_rosea.htm
Lucidcentral (2024). Castanospermum australe. Available at: https://apps.lucidcentral.org/plants_se_nsw/text/entities/castanospermum_australe.htm
PlantNET (2024). Castanospermum australe. Available at: https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Castanospermum~australe
Leiper, Glen, Muteroo: Plant use by Australian Aboriginal People. Eagleby South State School, Brisbane
Leiper, G., Glazebrook, J., Cox, D., & Rathie, K., 2008. Mountain to Mangroves: A Field Guide to the Native Plants of South-east Queensland. Logan River Branch, Society for Growing Australian Plants.
Petrie, Constance, Tom Petrie’s Reminiscences of Early Queensland. Angus and Robertson, 1975, (facsmile of 1904 edition)
Winterbotham papers (Anthropology Museum, University of Queensland)