Plants and mushrooms

Black bean

Common name		Black bean
Botanical name		Castanospermum australe
Other common names		Moreton Bay chestnut
Family		Fabaceae
General description		A native species that grows to 10m when planted as a garden ornamental or up to 40m in a natural rain forest setting.
Flowers		The flowers are large, orange and red, pea-flower shaped, clustered on older branches.
Leaves		The leaves consist of 7–17 large leaflets alternating on the rachis. Leaflets are 9–15cm long and 3–5cm wide, dark green, and asymmetric at the base.
Fruit/Berries		The fruit are large, heavy, rounded pods, usually 12–18cm long and 4–6cm wide; containing 3–5 large, dark brown seeds about 3cm in diameter.
Other		The sap is clear.
Symptoms		If eaten, the seeds can cause severe diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal pain and dizziness. The sawdust can cause dermatitis, eczema and nasal irritation.
Toxicity category		2, 3, 4
Warning		Seek urgent medical attention for all ingestions.