Nutwood, Crocodile tree
Terminalia arostrata
Family: Combretaceae
What it is like
A medium sized tree which loses many of its leaves during the year. It grows to 7-12 m tall and spreads to 3 m across. The stem is erect and the branches hang downwards. The bark is dark grey or black, corky and deeply cracked. The tree has a rounded crown. The leaves are arranged in spirals. The leaves are oval and broad. They are leathery with a blunt tip. They narrow towards the base. They are 3-8 cm long and 1.5-3 cm across. They are slightly shiny and light to dark green. The leaf stalk is 1-3 cm long. The flowers are cream coloured but not easily seen. They occur on spikes 5-10 cm long in the axils of leaves towards the ends of small branches. The fruit are dark purple of black and round. They are 2.5 cm across. They have thin flesh and a smooth, hard woody shell around the one seed. The flesh of the fruit is edible but sour. The kernel is edible.
There are about 200-250 Terminalia species. They are tropical.
Where it is found
It is a tropical and subtropical plant. It occurs naturally in the Northern Territory and in Western Australia in Australia. It occurs in woodland in dry regions often in sandy soils. It prefers light to medium soils. It needs well drained soils. It suits an open sunny position. It is drought resistant. It is damaged by frost. It grows in areas with a temperature between 22°-38° C and a rainfall of 400-650 mm. It grows in acid soils with a pH between 5-6. It suits hardiness zones 9-11.
Countries/locations it is found in
Australia (country/location of origin)
How it is used for food
The seeds are eaten raw. They are similar in size and taste to a peanut.
Edible parts
Fruit, kernel, nuts
How it is grown
Plants are grown from fresh seed. Seed is slow to start to grow.
Flowers occur in summer - October to January in Australia. Fruiting in Australia is January to May. The fruit may stay on the tree for several months.
Its other names
Local names
Badijiy, Partiki