FoI
Australian Chestnut
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Australian Chestnut
ntroduced Photo: Aarti Khale
Common name: Australian Chestnut, Moreton Bay Chestnut
Botanical name: Castanospermum australe    Family: Fabaceae (Pea family)

Native to Australia, as the name indicates, Australian Chestnut is a large evergreen tree growing to 40 m tall, though it may be found much smaller. Leaves are 15 X 6-7 cm , pinnate, with 11-15 leaflets. The flowers are red and yellow, 3-4 cm long, borne in racemes 6 cm long. The fruit is a cylindrical pod 12-20 cm long and 4-6 cm diameter. The fruit is divided into 3-5 cells, each of which contains a large chestnut-like seed.

Identification credit: Prashant Awale Photographed in Maharashtra & Bangalore.

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