A Nut less traveled
I love it when someone asks me for details on a species I don't know much about. It means digging and Googling and trying to remember that article from 1996 that...it's also a reminder to me to have a better filing system. But there you go. Got an email asking about the Atherton Nut (or A. Oak or A. almond.) - Athertonia diversifolia. It's certainly a species I've heard of - even vaguely remember someone saying it was delicious and could be the new 'native almond'.
Could be - though the Wet Tropics Management Authority describe it thus:
"Fruits have a blue skin with a dryish white flesh surrounding a hard shell. Inside is an edible kernel that can be eaten raw or roasted. The nuts also make a tasty addition to cakes, biscuits and desserts. Also eaten by Musky Rat-kangaroos and native rats."
Which actually doesn't tell us much about the nut's potential.
So what else can we find out about the nut, the tree it comes from and its cultivation?