This is a tree that I only ‘discovered’ this week, or rather it was a case of mistaken identity-I thought that it was a Brachychiton acerifolius instead as the bark is very similar! I only realised what it was after finding a fallen flower and using an app on my phone called ‘PictureThis’ to guide me in the right direction. As it is a new species to me, I had to do a bit of research on the ins and outs of another lovely Australian native tree-this particular genus (Brachychiton)of trees is one of my favourites.

This tree is belongs in rainforests north of Dungog in New South Wales to Mackay in Queensland. In the wild, it can reach up to 30 metres high. It is apparently fairly common in cultivation where it can tolerate a range of climates, even if it can be slow growing.

The leaves are 10-15 cm long with deep lobes. Adults generally have 5 lobes while juvenile leaves have up to 7 lobes. These trees are partly to fully deciduous just before flowering.

The lower surface is white and hairy. The flowers are bell-shaped and quite large, located at the tips of branches. They are a lovely pink colour. Flowers are followed by seed capsules that contain many seeds. The flowers appear in summer.

• Www.anpsa.org.au/plant_profiles/brachychiton-discolour. Accessed 08/02/24
• Www.plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au. Accessed 08/02/24