Common Name(s): Bottle Tree, Queensland Bottle Tree, Kurrajong

Synonym(s):

Family: Malvaceae

Native To: Eastern Australia

Native Habitat:

Growth Habit: Medium sized tree often with a swollen trunk that can reach 6 to 8 feet in diameter

Flowering: Early spring

Distinguishing Characteristics: On younger trees the leaves are palmately-lobed, and as the tree matures the leaves become narrow and lance-shaped. Flowers are small and pale yellow in color. As the tree matures the trunk begins to take on a swollen appearance, which can become quite pronounced in older specimens. Bark is lime green on young trees, becoming fissured as the tree ages and the expansion occurs.

Natural History and Cultivation Notes: Native to the eastern side of Australia, Kurrajong (an Aboriginal term) is found in Queensland where it survives in quite dry conditions (winters are drier than summers there). Correspondingly, when brought into cultivated landscapes, it is intolerant of over watering, and bad drainage. Just like its cousin Brachychiton populneus, Queensland Bottle Tree can quickly succumb to Texas Root Rot during our humid summers.

Propagation of Brachychitons can be accomplished by either seeds or cuttings. Seeds are reported to germinate with little treatment, and early growth is quick. The UA Kurrajong was started from a cutting; the source tree is here in Tucson. Since installation in 2005, the UA tree has increased more than 12 feet in height. Overall, the UA Kurrajong is an eye-catching tree with green bark and multi-shaped leaves that flutter like flags in the breezes. It is thriving in post-construction soil, maybe because the irrigation emitters were moved back away from the trunk almost immediately to avoid over-wetting the base.

Brachychiton rupestris is suitable for USDA Zone 9 (Tucson) if protected on cold nights when young. The UA tree was planted on the east side of the Math Annex Building, away from the structure (taking its final size into consideration), so it might suffer under the night sky if exposed to a deep freeze while still relatively young.

Ethnobotany:

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