Australian Flame Tree -- Brachychiton acerfolius

[DoomsDave]

These are planted a lot in So-Cal, and often they're ugly.

But sometimes they're so gorgeous you want to run out and buy one.

I visited one of our PSSC members Don Martin at his place in the fastness of Valley Center, and his just took my breath away.

Don, who is about 6 feet tall, below for scale. If you can take your eyes off the blossoms.

Gorgeous. The tree . . . .

[DoomsDave]

They can get huge over time. Here in California, they don't seem to get much taller than about 40 feet (12-13 m) but they keep getting fatter and fatter with time.

So, everyone, show us your flame tree pictures.

[tropicbreeze]

".....but they keep getting fatter and fatter with time."

I can relate to that.

[DoomsDave]

And, I do mean fat.

I ran across one in Huntington Beach, CA that was like 6 feet across the base (2 M) and only about 40 feet (12-13 m) tall.

The lady who owned the house said

"I'm go-ink to ree-moove eet. Tearink up my zidewalks."

A week later it was gone

[fastfeat]

Rarely as attractive in CA as I've seen (pics of) Australian trees, IMHO. Generally, where it gets sufficient water to size up here, it's too much so for it to bloom well (big tree like this at Fullerton Arboretum; street trees on Orangethorpe in Buena Park also). If it's drier, they often (not always) bloom well, but such trees are often poorly formed and stunted (Alondra Blvd in La Mirada; Diamond Bar Blvd medians, for example), so the effect is underwhelming.

I sometimes think that those shots of this tree -- 40' and flowering solid red without leaves -- flowering in Oz have been Photoshopped...

[NApalm]

I can testify that a good one in bloom is just like the pictures. Jaw dropping! There's a triple planting at work that one year can be outstanding and the other year, wont even bloom. I planted one 2 years ago, and while it's grown super well, it's never flowered. Probably because i keep the water up in the garden to keep the palms happy. I dont mind because it's a beautiful tree without flowering, but when they do flower, oh boy!

[Tropicgardener]

Yep I totally agree, here in their homeland they are stunning. They are found locally here in our tropical rainforests but are also common in subtropical and warm temperate rainforests to the south. In summer it is quite a sight when hiking in rainforest to be confronted with a vivid red tree in an endless sea of green !!.............. I certainly think California is generally too dry for these trees as unlike other species of Brachychiton these are found in drier to even quite wet rainforest.

[Gonzer]

Davey m'lad, you are correct in your assertation that these trees are indeed ugly at times. A very unruly growth habit (akin to Ceiba) makes for funky displays when in bloom. I noticed this year that possibly due to our excessive heat and lack of rain that they, along with Jacaranda, put on better than average shows this year. Do you concur?

[Justin]

There are many of them at the Safari Park in Escondido, and the blooms this year were quite good. They're mixed in with B. disclosor and B. rupestris - interesting to see that the trunk looks very similar, despite the girth and the leaves being very different.

I had one growing in Vista for several years, then it just up and died. I have one in Pahoa now, but it hasn't bloomed as of yet.

[DoomsDave]

Davey m'lad, you are correct in your assertation that these trees are indeed ugly at times. A very unruly growth habit (akin to Ceiba) makes for funky displays when in bloom. I noticed this year that possibly due to our excessive heat and lack of rain that they, along with Jacaranda, put on better than average shows this year. Do you concur?

Yes, Gonz, more or less.

Don's is gorgeous, though I didn't ask him if it's like this every year. (I should.)

We have some specimens here in La Habra, and, I think FastFeat explains the problem perfectly. Dry-loving Brachys do much better here. If I had to pick and plant a fat tree that was gorgeous part of the year and semi-ugly much of the rest of the time, I'd do a Los Angeles Beautiful Ceiba. A bit tempermental, but much more reliable overall.

But that fat one in HB was gorgeous when it bloomed. The lady showed me a picture of her posed beneath it with a busload of tourists who stopped when they saw it blooming in 1988 (I saw it in 1989). Its crown looked like a nuclear mushroom cloud, all afire. It was truly stunning. There was no lawn to water. ("Ze tree killed ze lawn, ja?") She clearly hated to have to destroy it.

[fan palm]

I have about 20 (one flowering for the first time last summer) of these planted at my place and your right, they can look scrappy at times. bugs really love the leaves and fungus attacks smaller branches. they do transplant well as they don't have an overly big root system. I have seem some big trees cut right back to a 8 foot tall stump and they seem to regrow well with better shape? all in all you cant go past a specimen in full flower!

[DoomsDave]

I have about 20 (one flowering for the first time last summer) of these planted at my place and your right, they can look scrappy at times. bugs really love the leaves and fungus attacks smaller branches. they do transplant well as they don't have an overly big root system. I have seem some big trees cut right back to a 8 foot tall stump and they seem to regrow well with better shape? all in all you cant go past a specimen in full flower!

just don't plant zem too near ze zidevalk, ja?

[JasonD]

Among subtropical trees that flower out of leaf, this is one of the best for San Francisco's eastern side, out of the intense fog zone nearer the coast. It doesn't bloom every year, but when it blooms on naked branches, it stops traffic - or at least my car. The weird growth cycle of shedding leaves and then going through a growth spurt is a bit of a drawback, but in general it's a nice-looking tree here, even if it never blooms.