Brachychiton acerifolius
Encyclopedia
Brachychiton acerifolius, commonly known as the Illawarra Flame Tree, is a large tree
of the family Malvaceae
native to subtropical regions on the east coast of Australia
. It is famous for the bright red bell-shaped flowers that often cover the whole tree when it is leafless. Along with other members of the genus Brachychiton
, it is commonly referred to as a Kurrajong.
Brachychiton acerifolius was first described in 1855 by W. Macarthur and C. Moore. It is sometimes spelled as Brachychiton acerifolium, under the assumption that the genus name Brachychiton is (Greek) neuter. In fact, Brachychiton is masculine, and hence the correct species epithet is acerifolius.
This tree is tolerant of temperate climates and is now cultivated world-over for its beauty. However, the maximum height of 40 m is reached only in the original, warmer, habitat. It usually grows to be about 20 m. Similarly to its Kurrajong relatives the leaves are variable, with up to 7 deep lobes. It is deciduous
- shedding its leaves after the dry season
. The spectacular flowering occurs in late spring and new foliage is ready for the summer rains. In areas where the winter is not particularly dry, this natural rhythm may become somewhat erratic and the tree may flower only partially.
Flowers are scarlet bells with 5 partially fused petals. The pod-like fruits (technically known as follicles
) are dark brown, wide, boat-shaped and about 10 cm long. They contain masses of thin bristles that stick in the skin, as well as yellow seeds. These are nutritious and were eaten by Aborigines
after toasting.
is a song by Australian pub rock band Cold Chisel
from their 1984 album Twentieth Century. It is one of their best known songs, and was written by drummer Steve Prestwich
and organist Don Walker
. The band's former lead singer Jimmy Barnes
planted a flame tree at the National Arboretum Canberra
on 14 March 2011.
The Illawarra Flame Tree is the iconic logo for the Illawarra credit union. When this tree reaches maturity it puts out spectacular display of red bell shaped flowers. It is called "Flame Tree" because of its colour.
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
of the family Malvaceae
Malvaceae
Malvaceae, or the mallow family, is a family of flowering plants containing over 200 genera with close to 2,300 species. Judd & al. Well known members of this family include okra, jute and cacao...
native to subtropical regions on the east coast of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is famous for the bright red bell-shaped flowers that often cover the whole tree when it is leafless. Along with other members of the genus Brachychiton
Brachychiton
Brachychiton is a genus of 31 species of trees and large shrubs, native to Australia , and New Guinea . Fossils from New South Wales and New Zealand are estimated to be 50 million years old, corresponding to the Tertiary.They grow to 4 – 30m tall, and some are dry-season deciduous...
, it is commonly referred to as a Kurrajong.
Brachychiton acerifolius was first described in 1855 by W. Macarthur and C. Moore. It is sometimes spelled as Brachychiton acerifolium, under the assumption that the genus name Brachychiton is (Greek) neuter. In fact, Brachychiton is masculine, and hence the correct species epithet is acerifolius.
This tree is tolerant of temperate climates and is now cultivated world-over for its beauty. However, the maximum height of 40 m is reached only in the original, warmer, habitat. It usually grows to be about 20 m. Similarly to its Kurrajong relatives the leaves are variable, with up to 7 deep lobes. It is deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
- shedding its leaves after the dry season
Dry season
The dry season is a term commonly used when describing the weather in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which oscillates from the northern to the southern tropics over the course of the year...
. The spectacular flowering occurs in late spring and new foliage is ready for the summer rains. In areas where the winter is not particularly dry, this natural rhythm may become somewhat erratic and the tree may flower only partially.
Flowers are scarlet bells with 5 partially fused petals. The pod-like fruits (technically known as follicles
Follicle (fruit)
In botany, a follicle is a dry unilocular many-seeded fruit formed from one carpel and dehiscing by the ventral suture in order to release seeds, such as in larkspur, magnolia, banksia, peony and milkweed....
) are dark brown, wide, boat-shaped and about 10 cm long. They contain masses of thin bristles that stick in the skin, as well as yellow seeds. These are nutritious and were eaten by Aborigines
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
after toasting.
Popular culture
Flame TreesFlame Trees
"Flame Trees" is a song by Australian pub rock band Cold Chisel from their 1984 album Twentieth Century. It is one of their best known songs, and was written by drummer Steve Prestwich and organist Don Walker...
is a song by Australian pub rock band Cold Chisel
Cold Chisel
Cold Chisel is a rock band that originated in Adelaide, Australia. It is one of the most acclaimed Australian rock bands of all time, with a string of hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s and huge sales that continue to this day, although its success and acclaim was almost completely restricted to...
from their 1984 album Twentieth Century. It is one of their best known songs, and was written by drummer Steve Prestwich
Steve Prestwich
-External links:* *...
and organist Don Walker
Don Walker (musician)
Don Walker is an Australian musician and songwriter known for writing many of the hits for Australian pub rock band Cold Chisel. He played piano and keyboard with the band from 1973 to 1983, when they disbanded. He has since continued to record and tour, both solo and with Tex, Don and Charlie,...
. The band's former lead singer Jimmy Barnes
Jimmy Barnes
James Dixon Swan , better known as Jimmy Barnes, is a Scottish-born Australian rock singer-songwriter. His father Jim Swan was a prizefighter and his older brother John Swan is also a rock singer. It was actually John who had encouraged and taught Jim how to sing as he wasn't really interested at...
planted a flame tree at the National Arboretum Canberra
National Arboretum Canberra
The National Arboretum Canberra is an arboretum in Canberra, the national capital of Australia, created after the area was burned out as a result of the Christmas 2001 and 2003 Canberra bushfires: The Himalayan Cedar forest lost about one third of its trees, and the commercial Radiata Pine...
on 14 March 2011.
The Illawarra Flame Tree is the iconic logo for the Illawarra credit union. When this tree reaches maturity it puts out spectacular display of red bell shaped flowers. It is called "Flame Tree" because of its colour.