Brachychiton acerifolius

Brachychiton acerifolius; common name Illawarra flame tree, lacebark tree, or (along with other members of the genus) kurrajong, is a large deciduous tree which forms a pyramidal habit. It may reach 30 to 35 m in height in its natural habitat, but is usually shorter in cultivation. The trunk is neatly rounded and green or grey-green in colour, often tapering unbranched to the very tip of the tree. Leaves have long petioles and measure up to 30 cm  x 25 cm, are glossy green, glabrous, simple, alternate, and highly variable in shape - they may be entire and ovate or up to 5-lobed. Flowers are bright red or scarlet in colour, bell-shaped when viewed from the side and star-shaped when viewed end-on, about 25 to 30 mm long by 16 to 22 mm wide, and are produced on large panicles with leaves being shed just prior flowering. They have five petals, fused at the base and free at the ends. The seeds are contained in a pod which is dark brown, leathery, boat-shaped and about 10 cm long. The pods ripen around May to August splitting along one side to reveal two rows of yellow seeds numbering 12-26, each around 10 by 5 mm and surrounded by a papery aril covered in stiff hairs which are very irritating if touched. 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 also ate the roots of young trees. Planted in 2007.

33.00 Location B2 Latitude;  -38.402261000000  Longitude-  146.050869000000