By MIKE MATHER in Rotorua
It looks like a prop from the latest Alien movie or the result of some top secret genetic experiment at Scion.
Lawnmowing contractor Leo Dibley did a double take when he saw what appeared to be a giant mutant pinecone at Te PapaTipu Innovation Park in Rotorua, where the organisation formerly known as Forest Research is based. "I was mowing there with the tractor when I saw it on the ground and I thought 'What the heck's that?' I just could not resist it."
A check with Scion staff revealed the 5kg pinecone was a nut from the bunya pine, a tree closely related to the monkey puzzle that grows in Southeast Queensland.
Two bunya trees, also known by their scientific name Araucaria Bidwillii, form part of the collection of exotic plantings on the Scion campus.
Mr Dibley was so impressed by the size of the nut, he decided it needed a larger audience.
The nuts, a staple for those who know their Australian food, can grow up to 8kg and contain edible seeds. A large harvest occurs about every three years from January to March.
The nuts can be eaten raw when fresh, or boiled to make it easier to extract the nut from the hard shell. They can then be sliced or pureed and added to desserts and savoury dishes. The nuts' flour can also be used to make breads and cakes.
Bunya nuts also make the news in Queensland, but usually because they have fallen off trees and on to someone's car or head, like coconuts.
