Botanical Name: Castanospermum australe
Common Name: Moreton Bay Chestnut; Blackbean
Type of Plant: dicot: perennial
Character evergreen

Habit of Growth:
Overall Shape a mostly erect, single or multi-trunked plant; branches are rather gnarled, spiny, with an irregular zig-zag pattern, sometimes drooping; mature plants develop a loose rounded canopy
Height 50'-60'
Spread 50'-60'
Growth Rate slow to moderate
 
Environment:
Exposure outdoors: full sun to partial shade
Soil tolerates most, including saline and alkaline desert soils
Hardiness some frost (zones 18-22)
 
Morphology:
Leaves pinnate (with 2 prominent lateral veins near margins) with 11-15 leaflets, alternate oblong-ovate to ovate-lanceolate; serrate, 1-2" long
Flowers racemes of 1" wide yellow to reddish flowers, to 8" long May through June
Fruit a pod, 6-9" long, becoming woody and inflated, each containing 3-5 rounded, chestnut-like seeds; poisonous if eaten raw, edible if roasted
 
Propagation:
seed, followed by grafting
 
Usage:
lawn tree, shade tree, specimen tree for subtropical gardens; creates dense shade and can be used successfully in hardscape areas; flowering attracts birds
 
Landscape Care:
Watering prefers regular watering but is adaptable to most watering regimes
Fertilizing slow-release at planting time
Pruning little needed after establishing basic canopy branches
Pests/Diseases relatively free; subject to Texas root rot in desert areas
Special Conditions/Other
 
Origin: Queensland and New South Wales, Australia
Family: Fabaceae
 
Notes:
 
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