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This Chinese tree originated from Southern China. It
is a collector's item there and in Hong Kong. Occasionally,
the nuts are sold in markets and roadside stores. Being
a Sterculia, it is closely related to our Australian
peanut tree, the S. quadrifida, which has
tiny pea size seeds. These are eaten by Aborigines,
roasted or grounded into a paste.
However, the Chinese nut is ten times the
size of its Australian cousin. It can be eaten
raw or cooked. Its one distinct characteristic
is that when cooked, it has the colour and taste of
a egg yolk. Vegetarians lavish them in their cooking. Chinese
gourmets use them to enrich the taste and flavours of
dumplings and in brewing pots of herbal chicken, duck
or pork.
I had imported the first batch of over one hundred seeds
some sixteen years ago and the second batch about eight
years later. Out of the two batches, only three or four
germinated from each consignment, and thank goodness
the original trees of one from each batch still thrive
in my garden. Because they are difficult to germinate,
there are not too many in collectors' gardens outside
China. Unfortunately, the first tree only bears
about six pods each year. However, the second tree
started to bear nuts in abundance two years back in
its sixth year.
There are two distinct varieties, distinguished by the
colours of the flowers. One has snowy yellowish flowers
while the other has snowy pinkish flowers. I call
one S. lanceolata and the other S. monosperma.
Other Chinese colloquial names:
- Phang Kor
- Foong Kor
- Fu Kwai Chee
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