On Fri, 15 Feb 2008 11:54:52 +0000, Jack Campin - bogus address
wrote:

I thought the group might like to see today's picture of the cone
from a Bunya (Araucaria bidwillii).
http://www.box.net/shared/static/rqout10cgc.jpg
The top of the lower picture shows the 4 cm long nut. The flesh is
packed with nourishment, but is tasteless. It does not even have a
hint of resin.

If this is the same as the monkey-puzzle tree - they're used in
Chilean cooking, you might ask local Chileans what they do with
them. Araucaria-nut season is a big deal there.

==== j a c k at c a m p i n . m e . u k === http://www.campin.me.uk ====
Jack Campin, 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland == mob 07800 739 557
CD-ROMs and free stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, and Mac logic fonts

Not the same as the monkey-puzzle tree, but closely related.

The tree grows best in the high country in SE Queensland. The time of
harvest was important for Aborigines, since it offered an unfailing
and concentrated food source for a lot of people for short period. The
Bunya Nut forests were therefore a place for people to come to from
far afield, for gossip and arranging marriages.

There is an araucaria in Argentina that has a nut that looks identical
to Araucaria bidwillii. The species are Gondwanaland survivals.

A curious story attaches to one species (the Wollemi Pine - , which
was recently discovered in a gorge near Sydney. Known from fossils, it
was thought to have become extinct in the Tertiary. Less than 100
trees survived, in a single stand. We are not talking here about some
subspecies of another araucaria, that only nitpicking experts
recognise. It is instantly recognisable as a new species.

Fortunately 'what to do' fell into the hands of some practical
botanists. The authorities distributed cuttings and seeds around the
world, so that there is now no risk of it becoming extinct. We have
one growing in a pot that will serve as a Christmas tree for the first
time this year.

http://www.wollemipine.com/index.php