ID please

Does anyone know what this tree is please? The leaf is 6-7" long and 4" wide and the larger nuts are as big as golf balls. It is growing at my brother's place down by the creek in Sarina in QLD. The next pic is of the leaf. Colleen

The leaf. Colleen

Hi again Colleen,I looked at this first & thought was it an unripe fig, but the leaves arn't quite right. Could it be a Calabash Tree. Even though the seed pod looks alittle more grey than the bright green. The fruit/seedpod usually has a hard shell, and can grow to 20". It is from sth America. Another small nut is the Macadamia Nut, But the leaves are more elongated. Just some ideas. Karen

Any other ideas please. Colleen

not a Macadamia I have one and it has toothed stiff leathery leaves.
Sorry Colleen I don't know.
Will try to find out.
Try to google things like this
http://www.allcreativedesigns.com.au/pages/galltrees11.html

Aleurites (candle nut).

Thanks Alistair, my brother will be pleased to have a name. Colleen

IN hawaii its called a Kukui nut, it gives an oil that burns for hours.... Light one on fire and watch..

Yes, Aleurites moluccana.

http://www.sgapqld.org.au/bushtucker11.html

Is this a candlenut tree too?

The fruit and foliage.

Closeup of the foliage.

Closeup of the fruit.

It looks very much like it.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/61031/
what do you think?

did some of them drop into your pocket ?
A very big tree by the look of it.
Interesting history.

It's just that the leaves on *my* tree look a little different, not such a strong angular shape as shown in some of the pics. Perhaps it's a natural variation in the species. I do remember indistinct sort of flowers but I'm pretty sure I sniffed them and found no scent.

Dropped into my pocket?? No, but they're growing behind the local shopping strip, near the popcorn cassia, so I can easily pick some when they ripen. I take it you'd like a few to drop into *your* pocket LOL

The leaves of Candlenut / Kukui, Aleurites moluccana are highly variable.
In Hawai'i there are varieties with leaves that are entire and unlobed, and some that are deeply lobed which look almost like Maple (Acer) leaves.

I imagine in Australia the variability would be even greater than what is found here!

There are at least twelve (12) locally named varieties found in Hawai'i. The varieties are maintained through isolation.

When different varieties are grown close to each other the offspring / progeny ('oha) become more generic.

To maintain a particular variety; offspring that carry the desired trait are kept, and those without it are tossed.

Candlenut / Kukui, Aleurites moluccana and Screwpine / Hala, Pandanus tectorius formed the early economy of Hawaiians.

Screwpine helped to provide a human habitat by the coast.

Candlenut provided fast growing resources in upcountry areas.

Ah, that explains the leaf variability. Thanks for clarifying that!

I remember in previous years seeing the fruit lying on the ground where it had fallen after ripening. Chrissy, do you want me to wait until it drops to the ground before collecting some for you, or is there some advantage to picking it off the tree?

hi cestrum ...you know me ... ever the seed lover ...when you consider my age I reckon one has to be an optimist to think that I will see some trees mature ...however they say we should plant for the next generation.

Once that was a good saying but these days you never know if someone will come along and knock them down and build a sky scraper or a M'c Mansion hub.
Next time it drops seeds yes I would love a couple ...thanks so much.

OK, will wait until the seeds drop and then collect them. I just wondered if they had more 'fuel' potential if picked earlier. (I assume you're going to try lighting a few?)

I remember reading about a gardener who reminisced about the time he was so anxious to plant a stand of trees (oaks, I think) and, knowing they would take decades to mature, felt that time was running out. He was 25 :-( Writing about that time, years/decades later, he mused how now when he was older and had less time left, he was much more sanguine. So I say forget about what people might do in the future to your garden and just plant what suits you.