Brachychiton acerifolius, commonly known as the Illawarra flame tree, is a large tree of the family Malvaceae native to subtropicalregions 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.
Description
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 are dark brown, wide, boat-shaped and about 10 cm long. They contain masses of thin bristles that stick in the skin of humans, as well as yellow seeds. These are nutritious and are traditionally eaten by Indigenous Australians after toasting.
Taxonomy
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 nameBrachychiton is neuter. In fact, Brachychiton is masculine, and hence the correct species epithet is acerifolius. The name Brachychiton is derived from the Greek brachys, meaning short, and chiton,a type of tunic, as a reference to the coating on the seed. The specific epithetacerifolius suggests the appearance of the foliage is similar to that of the genus Acer, the maples. In his landmark Flora Australiensis, English botanist George Bentham published the first key for the nine described species of Brachychiton, and relegated them to a section of Sterculia. Hence the Illawarra flame tree became Sterculia acerifolia. Von Mueller maintained his recognition of Brachychiton as a separate genus. German botanist Otto Kuntze challenged the generic nameSterculia in 1891, on the grounds that the name Clompanus took precedence. He republished the Illawarra flame tree as Clompanus Haenkeana.
This tree is tolerant of temperate climates and is now cultivated world-over for its beauty. However, the maximum height of is reached only in the original, warmer, habitat. It usually grows to be about.
