The Lacebark Kurrajong, also called the "bottle tree" is a member of the Brachychiton genus of trees and native to Australia. It is a fast growing tree whose trunk tends to bulge a bit, although much less than some of the other "bottle trees" such as the Brachychiton rupestris. The new bark of the Lacebark Kurrajong is green in color and has photosynthesis capability. The bark turns light brown as it ages. As the trunk stretches however new bark is exposed in the stretch marks of the old which creates the "lacebark" pattern.
Like other Kurrajongs this tree species has a great deal variation in its leaf shapes. Leaf shapes vary from simple to multiple lobes. Three lobes are very common and I have seen some with five. It is also very common to see leaves that are asymmetrical with a lobe on one side missing or underdeveloped.
The seed pods grow in clusters of 4-5 pods is a sort of star pattern. Each individual pods has a sort of boat shape the eventually opens up revealing the corn kernel shaped seeds.
The seed pods also have an interesting ornamental value if you are into doing crafts.
The seeds are reputed to be edible although extracting them can be tricky. The inside of the seed pod is lined with very fine hairs that will stick in your skin if handled with bare hands.
more from this genus...Brachychiton discolor
Brachychiton bidwillii
Brachychiton acerifolius
for an interesting tree that is similar to this tree check out the Chinese Parasol tree
Does anyone know how I can obtain some of these pods for my crafting??
ReplyDeleteThanks
Leslie
There are quite a few growing in the parks of Athens, Greece.
ReplyDeleteIt is high summer here and the trees are full with seed pods. There was a fair wind this evening and they sounded a bit like a heard of goats or a thousand tiny glockenspiels.
Thank you for posting the reference. I was beginning to think that I would never find out what they were.
Tim
These grew all over the farm where i grew up in Henty, NSW. Even in times of severe drought, like the last ten years, they are still green and shady while many Eucalyptus around them die. I plan to propagate them (it's quite easy) and plant them on my property in N.E. Victoria, since the bushfires killed most of my trees.
ReplyDeletewhere are they found in Australia?
ReplyDeleteWhat are their ancestors and how have they changed and addapted?
Please help i am dying of bordem in year 11 biology!!! HELP ME!!!
My family and I were visiting Phoenix, Arizona, USA in December 2011 and found a tree very like this one. It has the three-lobed leaf illustrated above and a boat-shaped, velvet-lined dark brown pod (it being winter here, the pods were all on the ground and the tree was fully clothed with leaves). The only difference that I could tell is that the branches were all growing downward like those of the weeping willow tree. Could this be a member of the Brachychiton genus of trees crossed with something from the willow family?
ReplyDeleteOne_Among_Many....
ReplyDeleteYou probably found a member of the Brachychiton genus or a hybrid of two different Brachychiton species. Hybrids are common when these trees are used in urban settings.
Thanks for your post. Very helpful! I have one of these trees, it was here when I moved in. It is happily growing in Los Angeles, USA., a long way from its origins.
ReplyDeleteThanks alot, i was tryiing to name several species on my property, and i have at least 3 of these here, though i didnt know what their name was.
ReplyDelete