Brachychiton acerifolius (Illawarra Flame Tree)

Illawarra Flame Tree (Brachychiton acerifolius) flowers and seed pods. Photographed in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales.

Photograph by Bidgee. Some rights reserved. (view image details)

Brachychiton acerifolius leaves and seed pods

Photograph by Parisette. Some rights reserved. (view image details)

Brachychiton acerifolius tree

Photograph by Alpha. Some rights reserved. (view image details)

PLANT FACTS

distribution map showing range of Brachychiton acerifolius in Australia

Map is from The Atlas of Living Australia web site, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia License

Common Name
Illawarra Flame Tree

Other Names
Flametree, Flame Kurrajong, Lacebark Tree

Description
The Illawarra Flame Tree is a large tree growing to 40 m tall, although in cultivation it grows to about 20 m. The leaves are variable in shape and can be lobed with 3 to 5 lobes, and grow 12 cm to 20 cm long and 5 cm to 18 cm wide. The tree is deciduous and bare from about between October to December, with new foliage produced in summer. The tree flowers profusely in spring when the tree is bare. The flowers are brilliant red, bell-shaped, with 5 partially fused petals, and about 2 cm to 3 cm long. The seed pods are brown in colour, boat-shaped, and grow about 10 cm long and 4 cm wide.

Habitat
rainforest

Distribution
The Illawarra Flame Tree is found in Cape York Peninsula, eastern Queensland and eastern New South Wales.

Growth Characteristics
Height: 10m - 40m
Spread: 10m - 15m

Classification

Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Malvales
Family:	Malvaceae
Genus:	Brachychiton
Species:	acerifolius
Common Name:	Illawarra Flame Tree

Relatives in same Genus
  Brachychiton australis
  Brachychiton bidwillii
  Brachychiton compactus
  Brachychiton discolor
  Brachychiton gregorii
  Brachychiton megaphyllus
  Brachychiton muellerianus
  Brachychiton populneus
  Brachychiton rupestris