Brachychiton acerifolius

This species is a large deciduous tree, which forms a pyramidal habit.{{cite web |title=Brachychiton acerifolius |url=http://plantfileonline.net/plants/plant_details/33 |website=PlantFile |publisher=PlantFileonlie}} It may reach {{convert|30|to|35|m|ft|abbr=on}} in height in its natural habitat, but is usually shorter in cultivation.{{cite web |title=Brachychiton acerifolius |url=http://www.anpsa.org.au/b-ace.html |website=Australian Native Plants Society (Australia) (ANPSA) |publisher=Australian Native Plants Society (Australia) |access-date=31 December 2020}} The trunk is smoothly cylindrical and green or grey-green in colour, often tapering unbranched to the very tip of the tree. Leaves have long petioles{{cite web |title=Brachychiton acerifolius (A.Cunn. ex G.Don) F.Muell. |url=https://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Brachychiton~acerifolius |website=PlantNET (The NSW Plant Information Network System) |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Sydney. |access-date=31 December 2020}} and measure up to {{convert|30|cm|in|abbr=on}} x {{convert|25|cm|in|abbr=on}}. They are glossy green, glabrous, simple, alternate, and highly variable in shape—they may be entire and ovate or up to 5-lobed.{{cite book |last1=Jones |first1=David L. |title=Rainforest Plants of Australia |date=1986 |publisher=Reed Books |location=Sydney, Australia |isbn=0-7301-0381-1 |page=198}}

Flowers are bright red or scarlet in colour, bell-shaped when viewed from the side and star-shaped when viewed end-on, about {{convert|25|to|30|mm|in|abbr=on|1}} long by {{convert|16|to|22|mm|in|abbr=on|1}} wide, and are produced on large panicles. They have five petals, fused at the base and free at the ends. The ensuing fruits are a dehiscent pod which is dark brown, leathery, boat-shaped and about {{convert|10|cm|in|abbr=on|1}} long. They ripen around May to August in Australia, splitting along one side to reveal two rows of yellow seeds numbering 12–26, each around {{convert|10|by|5|mm|in|abbr=on|1}} and surrounded by a papery aril covered in stiff hairs, which are very irritating if touched.{{cite book |last1=Cooper |first1=Wendy |last2=Cooper |first2=William |author-link=William T. Cooper |date=2004 |title=Fruits of the Australian Tropical Rainforest |url=https://www.williamtcooper.com.au/books/fruits-australian-tropical-rainforest/ |publisher=Nokomis Editions |page=528 |isbn=0-9581742-1-0}}

Brachychiton acerifolius is found in well developed coastal rainforests from southern New South Wales to far north Queensland. In Cape York Peninsula and northeast Queensland the altitudinal range is from sea level to {{convert|1000|m|ft|abbr=on}}. It also grows in drier, more seasonal forests.

B. acerifolius is very popular as an ornamental tree both in its native Australia and around the world. The flowering is a spectacular event, as it sheds its leaves just prior to producing masses of bright scarlet flowers over the entire tree. It is used for street plantings, public parks and gardens, and in private gardens. It is easily grown and may be propagated from seed, cuttings, or by grafting.{{cite web |title=Brachychitons, the Australian Bottle Trees |url=https://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/2113/ |website=Dave's Garden |access-date=1 January 2021}}

In the New South Wales local government area of Northern Beaches, the Illawarra flame tree is included in a list of trees that are exempt from the need to request Council's consent prior to removal.{{cite web |url=https://www.northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au/environment/trees/exempt-tree-species-list |title = Exempt Tree Species List {{!}} Northern Beaches Council| date=19 November 2019 }}

The seeds of Brachychiton species are edible—Indigenous Australians ate them either raw or roasted after removing the irritating hairs that surround them in the pod. They are nutritious, containing 18% protein and 25% fat with high levels of zinc and magnesium. They also ate the roots of young trees.{{cite book |last1=Low |first1=Tim |title=Wild Food Plants of Australia |date=1991 |publisher=Collins Angus & Robertson Publishers Pty Limited |location=Pymble, NSW |isbn=0-207-16930-6 |page=183 |edition=Revised}}

This species is a host plant for the larvae of the pencilled blue, shining pencil-blue, common aeroplane and tailed emperor butterflies. The seeds are eaten by Australian king parrots and the regent and satin bowerbirds.

The genus Brachychiton was traditionally placed in the family Sterculiaceae, but that family, along with Bombacaceae and Tiliaceae, has been found to be polyphyletic and is now sunk into a more broadly-defined Malvaceae.{{cite web|url=http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/research/APweb/|title=Angiosperm Phylogeny Website|last=Stevens|first=Peter F.|authorlink=Peter F. Stevens|date=29 January 2015|access-date=6 February 2015}}

Brachychiton acerifolius was first described in 1855 by W. Macarthur and C. Moore.{{APNI | name = Brachychiton acerifolius (A.Cunn. ex G.Don) Macarthur & C.Moore | id = 9502}} It is sometimes spelled as Brachychiton acerifolium, under the assumption that the genus name Brachychiton is (Greek) neuter. In fact, Brachychiton is masculine (it is a bahuvrihi, and its first component is the descriptive component), and hence the correct species epithet is acerifolius. The name Brachychiton is derived from the Greek brachys meaning 'short' and chiton 'tunic', as a reference to the coating on the seed. The specific epithet acerifolius 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.{{cite journal|last=Guymer|first=Gordon Paul|date=1988|title=A taxonomic revision of Brachychiton (Sterculiaceae)|journal=Australian Systematic Botany|volume=1|issue=3|pages=199–323 | doi=10.1071/SB9880199}} Hence the Illawarra flame tree became Sterculia acerifolia.{{cite encyclopedia | last = Bentham | first = George | authorlink = George Bentham | year = 1863 | title = Sterculia | encyclopedia = Flora Australiensis: Volume 1: Ranunculaceae to Anacardiaceae | volume = 1 | page = 229 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/6721349 | location = London, United Kingdom| publisher = L. Reeve & Co}} Von Mueller maintained his recognition of Brachychiton as a separate genus. German botanist Otto Kuntze challenged the generic name Sterculia in 1891, on the grounds that the name Clompanus took precedence. He republished the Illawarra flame tree as Clompanus Haenkeana.{{cite book|last=Kuntze|first=Otto|authorlink=Otto Kuntze|title=Revisio generum plantarum:vascularium omnium atque cellularium multarum secundum leges nomenclaturae internationales cum enumeratione plantarum exoticarum in itinere mundi collectarum|publisher=A. Felix|location=Leipzig, Germany|year=1891|volume=1 |page=78 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/127537}}

{{Gallery |mode=packed

|File:Brachychiton acerifolius 7th Brigade Park Chermside L1020228.jpg |Whole tree, showing the conical habit and the tapering trunk

|File:Brachychiton acerifolius 7zz.jpg |Trunk of a young tree

|File:BrachychitonAcerifolius-FlowerDetail.jpg|Close-up of flower

|File:Brachychiton acerifolius - flowers SF21001.jpg|Collected flowers

|File:Flame Tree (Brachychiton acerifolius) in full flower (November 2024, Far North Queensland).jpg|Flame Tree in full flower at Edge Hill State School, Queensland

|File:Brachychiton acerifolius Royal National Park.JPG|Flame tree flowering out of season in mid-April, Royal National Park, New South Wales

|File:Leaves of Brachychiton Acerifolius.jpg|Leaves

|File:Brachychiton acerifolius leaf by tree-species.jpg|Leaf with 5 lobes

|File:Brachychiton acerifolius - leaf of mature tree SF21001.jpg|Leaf with very slight lobing

|File:Graines de Brachychiton acerifolius.jpg|Seed pods

|File:Huntington Gardens 28 - Brachychiton acerifolius flame tree.jpg| Seed pods

|File:Emptied seed pods on tree.jpg|Empty seed pods on tree

|File:Brachychiton acerifolius seeds.jpg|Seeds removed from pod

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• [https://avh.ala.org.au/occurrences/search?taxa=Brachychiton+acerifolius#tab_mapView View a map] of historical sightings of this species at the Australasian Virtual Herbarium
• [https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/observations?taxon_id=122300 View observations] of this species on iNaturalist
• [https://flickriver.com/search/Brachychiton+acerifolius View images] of this species on Flickriver

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acerifolius

Category:Trees of Australia

Category:Ornamental trees

Category:Malvales of Australia

Category:Flora of Queensland

Category:Flora of New South Wales

Category:Edible nuts and seeds

Category:Nature Conservation Act least concern biota

Category:Endemic flora of Australia