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Sea-Beans of Northern Queensland, Australia

N. Rhodes made a trip to Far Northern Queensland, Australia to study mangroves
and collected several sea-beans in the process.
All photos by N. Rhodes.

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At the C4 Environmental Center (http://www.cassowaryconservation.asn.au/C4CentreFrame.htm) in Mission Beach, I took this picture. It was a display of local drift seeds and the seed pod was identified as Entada phaseoloides.

seed and pod layout

Here's a picture of the Entada phaseoloides (identified by them) vine at the Daintree Rainforest Environmental Centre. It was huge...

Entada phaseoloides at the Daintree Rainforest Environmental Centre

The one I found on Wonga Beach looks much different than the rest. Maybe it just got real black floating around in the sea - it's a mystery to me. It rattles but I don't know what's inside. I think I'll save opening it for the Seabean Symposium:

Double Seed Pod

They were VERY plentiful but I never saw any pods with more than 3 seed chambers inside. The photo I sent you only had one seed chamber - I think it was the only one I found with the seed still still stuck inside - until I pulled it out. It was about 5x6cm - most are around that size and quite heavy. They have a skin you can scrape off with your fingernail to expose a cream-colored bean (like a kidney bean). I saw them painted in Queensland, but I don't know how they get the paint to stick since they seem to feel somewhat fleshy.

Castanospermum australe
Morton Bay Chestnut; Blackbean

Unidentified #2

Unidentified #3

Unidentified #4