bottletree

The bottle tree has one of the most visually interesting shapes. It's botanically known as Brachychiton rupestris, it's a member of the Malvaceae family and is also commonly known as the Queensland bottle tree, or narrow leaf bottle tree. The common name derives from the tree's shape, which becomes bottle-like as it ages at between five and eight years of age. Some people believe the tree is hollow but the swelling is due to the water held in its trunk. The bottle tree is semi-deciduous and reaches 18 to 20 meters. But if grown in cooler regions it's usually smaller. The leaves are about a hundred millimeters long and these drop from the tree before flowering. The bell-shaped, or campanulate, yellowish flowers usually form between October and December in clusters at the end of the branches. Source: www.abc.net.au/gardening/how-to/bottle-trees/9428532

... The opening up of the Binjour Plateau means a great thing for Queensland, and to those who understand the value of scrub selections, it will at once commend itself. On a dull day the cloud masses pass over the slopes of this great fertile region, promising plenty of moisture apart from the regular rains, to the grasses and the crops which now in the future will gladden the earth where the riotous tangle of scrub vines and brigalow hold their sway, and where the giant bottle-trees—those valuable adjuncts to the haystack in dry seasons—stand embowered. The Brisbane Courier, 02 Feb 1906 trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/19432925#

Beloved bottle trees are risky BOTTLE trees can be found far and wide across the Western Downs, but experts are reminding people to ensure the Queensland icons are in good health. Two bottle trees have had to be removed from Dalby properties in recent weeks after they fell over due to rotting. Toowoomba-based arborist Russell Clark said while the trees are Queensland natives they are not endemic to Dalby and often rot because their trunks are soft and fleshy or their roots don't take to the soil. You'll see them in Chinchilla and other places around the Western Downs but the soil type is different here - they're not native to the area, you won't see them growing in a paddock,” he said. "Normally trees that fall over have some sort of problem with the roots. "If the wind is strong and there is plenty of rain, that's when there is most likely movement in a tree. "They are an amazing tree and an Australian icon and I hate people cutting them down. "If you have a bottle tree in the wrong spot, try and find someone like me to remove it to take it to a tree orphanage.” "They live to a fair age so sometimes they can be rotten on the inside but still standing up,” he said. Interesting story about bottle trees from Courrier Mail. www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/dalby/beloved-bott...