Collected 1770: Endeavour River
Observed 2017, 2018: Brisbane Botanic Gardens suburban Brisbane
This brilliant and lyrical composition shows the life cycle of the tree in sensuous detail – from textures of the bark, through the changing colours and structure of unfurling flower sprays, to the large smooth pod with seeds, to a delicate seedling root system.
Castanospermum australe is a tropical rainforest tree whose heavy seeds are poisonous. However, Indigenous peoples make them safe to eat through careful preparation and cooking.
The seeds are finely sliced, then soaked in running water for up to ten days, roasted and then ground to a flour and cooked as a damper, serving as a staple food source. The seeds contain alkaloids that have been shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-HIV and anti-cancer properties.