Notice

Colin Mills, compiler of the Hortus Camdenensis, died in late November 2012 after a short illness. As he always considered the Hortus his legacy, it is his family's intention to keep the site running in perpetuity. It will not, however, be updated in the near future.

Brachychiton australis (Schott. & Endl.) A.Terracc.

A bottle-shaped tree when mature, deciduous when flowering, with 5-lobed leaves, to 25cm, and short racemes of cup-shaped white flowers, to 2.5cm long.  [REF].

Horticultural & Botanical History

S. trichosiphon, Benth. A tree, quite glabrous, leafless when in flower.  Leaves 4 to 8 in. long and broad, more or less deeply cut into 5 or rarely 7 palmate lobes, sometimes broad and shortly acuminate, sometimes lanceolate with long points, and glabrous on both sides.  Racemes short, mostly simple.  Calyx narrow, tubular-campanulate, about 3/4 in. long, the lobes lanceolate, spreading, much shorter than the tube.  Staminal column swollen and hairy in the middle.  Stigma peltate.  Follicles shortly stipitate, glabrous, oblong-triangular, 2 to 3 in. long. — Trichosiphon australe, Schott, Melet. 34; Brachychiton platanoides, R. Br. in Benn. Pl. Jav. Rar. 234.

N. Australia. Abel Tasman river, F. Mueller; Nicol Bay, F. Gregory.

Queensland. Northumberland Island (R. Brown), Burdekin and Suttor and Dawson rivers, F. Mueller; Wide Bay, Bidwill. The few flowers I have seen were much damaged by insects. I have not seen R. Brown’s specimens.’  [FA vol.1, p.229/1863].

History at Camden Park

Listed in the 1850 and 1957 catalogues [T.948/1850].  No longer in the gardens.  Probably grown from seed collected by Leichhardt.  

Notes

Published Mar 07, 2010 - 05:25 PM | Last updated Jul 31, 2010 - 04:32 PM

Family Sterculiaceae
Category
Region of origin

Northern Australia

Synonyms
  • Trichosiphum australe Schott & Endl.
  • Sterculia trichosiphon Benth. 
Common Name

Broad-leaved bottle tree

Name in the Camden Park Record

Sterculia sp. nova (Leichardt) 

Confidence level medium