On Wed, 02 May 2007 06:37:25 +1000, Richard Wright
wrote:

On Mon, 30 Apr 2007 22:34:08 +0100, Stewart Robert Hinsley
wrote:

In message , Richard Wright
writes
This small tree grows along roadsides close to the bank of the Colo
river west of Sydney. This is a warm temperate zone, with good
rainfall.

http://www.box.net/shared/static/mm49y5789h.jpg

It has fruits containing nuts.

The internal structure of the fruit looks something like a mangosteen,
but the thin pulp has an astringent flavour.

Inside the the thin shell is a pure white nut. It tastes pleasantly
mealy, but not delicious. I spat it out in case it is poisonous.

I don't think it is a native Australian species. There are a lot of
garden escapes in this area.

Since you've now identified it as Thespesia populnea, it's not listed as
native to New South Wales. However it might be native to Queensland. (T.
populnea occurs in coastal locations over much of the tropics, but
there's also confusion with T. populneoides.)

(The reference I had for T. populnea being present in Queensland - the
Millenium Seed Bank target list - seems to have disappeared from the
face of the web.)

What species is it?

Thanks for the extra information. Do you know anything about the
edibility of the nuts of Thespesia populnea?


This site: http://www.hibiscus.org/species/tpopulnea.php

says:
The leaf and flower buds are said to be edible raw or cooked. The
seeds are applied to scabies and other skin diseases, and are rubbed
on swollen joints. The yellowish juice extracted from young fruits is
used to treat insect bites, gonorrhoea, ringworm, and migraine
headache , and is also used for fistula, psoriasis, scabies, sprains,
and wart removal:
http://www.ars-grin.gov/duke/dictionary/tico/t.html


This site: http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/plants/portia.htm

says:


Uses as food: The fruits, flowers and young leaves are edible.