Edible portion: Gum, Seeds - oil
An evergreen tree. It grows to 17-20 m height and spreads about 5 m wide. It has lots of leaves and forms a dense round crown. The stems are erect and stout. The bark is greyish-green. It is rough and hard. The branches are angular. The leaves (phyllodes) are sickle shaped. They taper to a blunt tip and are 10-20 cm long. They are 1.5 to 3.5 cm across. The 3 main veins are prominent. The leaves are shiny and dark green. The flowers are dull golden rods. They are about 8 cm long. These rods occur in pairs in the angles of the leaves. The pods are woody, twisted and hard. These ear like pods are distinctive. They are about 5-7 cm long and 1.5 cm wide. They are dark brown when ripe. They contain black seeds arranged diagonally. The seeds are attached by a bright red aril.
They are tropical plants. Often trees grow in monsoon vine forest. In tropical Queensland it grows from sea level to 500 m altitude. They are often along the banks of freshwater streams. It prefers open sunny positions. It can survive drought. It is damaged by frost. It can grow on poor soils. It suits hardiness zones 10-12.