Our Pride and Joy This Christmas. The Flame Tree is All Scarlet.

The photo below is my Illawarra Flame tree in flower Dec 2006.    

I just have to share a 28 year old tree growing in my garden. It is called Illawarra Flame Tree or (Brachychiton acerifolius), I planted this tree I am proud to say and this year it has given us all the treat of a full coverage of its beautiful bright red flowers. It is a sight to behold and as an interesting fact here, it is a large tree native to tropical regions on the east coast of Australia, not our state as we are much further south.  

              

My personal photo.

For many years it shared its space with an even bigger tree a native ficus, however the huge ficus became dangerous in strong winds or storms when the branches would break off and smash down either causing major damage or a big mess to clean up.

The removal of the other tree may have given the flame tree all the extra sunlight it needed to put on a show that is worthy of any spectacular display with its mass of bright scarlet petals.  I can understand why these glorious native trees are so popular all over the world. I will now let you be the judge for yourselves.

Photo above from wikipedia.

The Illawarra Flame Tree (Brachychiton acerifolius), is a large tree native to tropical regions on the east coast of Australia. It is famous for the bright red bell-shaped flowers that often cover the whole tree when it is leafless. Along with other members of the Brachychiton genus, it is commonly referred to as a Kurrajong. This tree is tolerant of temperate climates and is now cultivated world-over for its beauty. However, the maximum height of 40 m is reached only in the original, warmer, habitat. Similarly to its Kurrajong relatives the leaves are variable, with up to 7 deep lobes. It is deciduous - shedding its leaves after the dry season. The spectacular flowering occurs in late spring and new foliage is ready for the summer rains. In areas where the winter is not particularly dry, this natural rhythm may become somewhat erratic and the tree may flower only partially.

This photo is from Wikipedia.

Flowers are scarlet bells with 5 partially fused petals. The pod-like fruits (technically known as follicles) are dark brown, wide, boat-shaped and about 10 cm long. They contain masses of thin bristles that stick in the skin, as well as yellow seeds. These are nutritious and were eaten by Aborigines after toasting.

Above my own photo of my tree in full bloom. It flowered fully in 2006 and has not done so again yet.

Seed Pods below are from my tree.

Added photo on 21/9/08

This information below was taken from the net.

The Illawarra Flame Tree is easily identifiable by its characteristic seed pods which are tough and leathery opening to reveal rows of seeds. These seeds are edible and quite nutrition, but should be roasted before eating. Care must be taken when removing them from the fibrous material which surround them as it can be quite irritating. The seeds can also be used to make a beverage similar to coffee. The fibre from the bark was used to produce twine for the making of fishing nets. Twine was also made from the bark. The tubers of young trees were also eaten.
	The Illawarra Flame is related to the Kurrajongs of which there are many representative native to Australia. Many of these were used in a similar way. Illawarra Flame trees can be seen in Victoria Park (Map reference M2 & M4), in the garden surrounding the Botany Lawn and on the corner of City Road and Butlin Ave (near the Wentworth Building K7). There are also two Illawarra Flame trees near University Oval No 1.

Source of extract please click here.