Scientific Name:
Castanospermum australe
Pronunciation:
kas-tan-oh-SPER-mum aw-STRAL-ee
Common Name:
lucky bean, Australian chestnut, Moreton Bay chestnut
Family Name:
Fabaceae
Plant Type:
Indoor foliage plant
Key ID Features:
Attractive indoor foliage plant usually <2m tall in pots (large evergreen tree to 10-40m tall in nature); leaves pinnately compound with 11-15 elliptic leaflets that are mostly 10-15cm long x 3-5cm wide; florets pea-like, yellowish red, 2-3cm long; legumes hard shelled, brown, with 3-5 chestnut-sized dark-brown seeds.
Habit:
Upright
Form:
Oval - vertical
Texture:
Medium - coarse
Mature Height:
1.3 - 2.0m
Mature Spread:
1.0 - 1.5m
Origin:
Australia / New Zealand
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 10: (-1 to 4 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Indoor plant (Caution: poisonous parts)
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Compound
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Heavily veined, Pinnate venation
Surfaces:
Glabrous, Lustrous
Compound Leaf:
Odd-pinnate
Shapes:
Elliptic
Apices:
Acuminate
Bases:
Obtuse, Rounded
Margins:
Pinnately lobed
Inflorescence Type:
Raceme
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Bilabiate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Orange, Yellow
Flower Time at Peak:
Mar, Apr, May
Additional Info:
Unlikely to flower indoors
Fruit Type:
Edible, Legume
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Jun, Jul
Additional Info:
Edible, Unlikely to form on indoor potted plants
Bark Morphology:
Smooth
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green, Brown
Organ Modifications:
Root nodules (N-fixing)
Propagation:
Seed
Optimal Temp.:
Medium
Light Level:
Medium
Maintenance:
Low
Pest Susceptibility:
Mealybugs, Scale insects, Whitefly or psyllids (Disease resistant)
