Australian Bottle Tree, Queensland hotsell Bottle Tree, Brachychiton Rupestris, beautifully sculptural plant, fast growing iconic Australian tree.

24" Tall Australian Bottle Tree, Queensland Bottle Tree
Brachychiton Rupestris

Australian Bottle Tree, Queensland Bottle Tree, Brachychiton Rupestris, beautifully sculptural plant, fast growing iconic Australian tree.

An iconic Australian tree that is hotsell both fast-growing and extremely drought tolerant. A mature specimen is one of those never-to-be-forgotten botanical moments and I well recall seeing it in the Sydney Botanical Gardens for the first time at the tender age of seventeen and being stopped in my tracks at the sight of it. Although each plant has its own idiosyncratic shape, the trunk generally forms a classic bottle shape with a tall bulbous girth that narrows at the shoulder to a smaller elongated neck from which the branches grow. The foliage is narrow and elongated with a glossy adaxial surface and a prominent midrib.

The Queensland Bottle Tree, is given it's name due to it's bottle shaped pachycaul (water holding) trunk. It is native to Central Queensland. This beautifully sculptural plant will undergo a number of physiological changes as it matures. The stem will develop it's characteristic bottle shape after about 5 years and the leaves will change from finely palmate to elliptical.

They will drop their leaves before flowering in October - December each year once they are mature. The flowers are yellowish in colour and campanulate in shape (which is botany speak for bell shaped with petals that flare outward).

The Bottle Tree is a hardy and adaptable Australian native; it tolerates a variety of climates and soil types and can be grown in a large pot in cooler regions. The unique swollen ‘bottle shaped' trunk develops in 5–7 years, giving it a comical look, like something you would expect to see in a Dr Seuss book!

Additional Information
Malvales
Malvaceae
Sterculioideae
Brachychiton delabechei, Clompanus rupestris, Delabechea rupestris, Oleobachia macrophylla, Oleobachia palustrie, Sterculia rupestris
Australia: Queensland, northern NSW
Full sun. Well-drained gritty acidic soil but not too fussy otherwise. Warm, sheltered, sunny south-facing location. Water well throughout the summer although it can take extreme drought. Protect younger wood in winter. A thick mulch of grit or gravel
6m+
4m+
Cold tolerant and will take a very light frost. May defoliate in colder sub-zero temperatures.This is a plant for experienced growers who live in mild locations and who have created favourable microclimates. Protect when young and mulch heavily