Brachychiton acerifolius
Brachychiton acerifolius
Safety & Hazards
There are irritating hairs inside the seedpods. Extreme caution must be taken with these hairs because they irritate the skin, are easily inhaled and have been known to cause blindness[1]. Like many members of the Sterculiaceae, this species produces mucilage when wounded. The mucilage produced if the fruit is damaged by insects has a corrosive action and, if it should fall on any motor vehicle parked under the tree ithen t will often strip the paint from the vehicle[2].
Cultivation Details
Brachychiton acerifolius ranges from the tropics to the warm temperate zone of eastern Australia, where it is found at elevations up to 1,000 metres[3, 4]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 26 - 32°c, but can tolerate 10 - 36°c[3]. The plant is relatively hardy when dormant, tolerating occasional short-lived lows to about -5°c, although young new growth can be killed at 0°c. It the tree is damaged by frost then, so long as the damage is not too severe, it usually recovers well. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,400 - 1,900mm, but tolerates 1,300 - 2,000mm[3]. Prefers a sunny position[5]. An extremely adaptable plant[4], it grows best in a moderately fertile, well-drained soil[5]. Prefers a sheltered position[3]. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 7, tolerating 5.5 - 7.5[3]. A fast-growing tree, so long as it is well supplied with moisture and nutrients[4]. A very ornamental tree with a spectacular flowering display, which happens when the tree is leafless. Heavy flowering events only occur every few years[4]. The tree hybridizes in the wild with Brachychiton discolor[4].
References
- [1]Bush Foods of New South Wales — Stewart S.; Percival B. · Royal Botanic gardens; Sydney, Australia. · 1997 · http://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/education/Resources/bush_foods · ISBN 07313-0004-1 ↩︎A small booklet with information on more than 30 species of edible plants. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
- [2]Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants — http://www.anbg.gov.au/cpbr/cd-keys/rfk/index.html ↩︎An online resource giving botanical information, and a little bit about plant usage, for over 2,700 species of plants found in the Australian rainforest.
- [3]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
- [4]Australian Rainforest Plants Volumes 1 - 6 — Nicholson N. & H. · Terania Rainforest Publishing; New South Wales. · 2007 · ISBN 9-78095894-3628 ↩︎Beautiful set of booklets with a terse description of over 600 species and their habitat, often including some of their uses and notes on their cultivation, plus at least one, excellent photograph.
- [5]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
- [6]Useful Fiber Plants of the World — Dodge C.R. · USDA; Washington. · 1897 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ ↩︎A rather dated, but very comprehensive catalogue of fibre plants from around the world. The book can be downloaded from the Internet.
- [7]The Useful Native Plants of Australia. — Maiden J.H. · Turner & Co.; London. · 1889 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org ↩︎Terse details of the uses of many Australian plants and other species naturalised, or at least growing, in Australia. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
- [8]CosIng — http://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/ ↩︎CosIng is the European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients.