Brachychiton rupestris

[swamptreenelly]

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums....ree.jpg

[edleigh7]

Thats a great looking base!!

[Peter]

Nice!  Any idea where this tree is?

[swamptreenelly]

Milpitas, California on Park Victoria and Calaveras northeast corner next to a gas station inside a patio at a Dentist office.

[swamptreenelly]

This tree is estimated to be 40 years old

[Wai`anae Steve]

I've got a young one.  It is a fast grower here in Hawai`i.  It has toubled in size in two year in the ground.  I think I see the trunk getting "fatter".

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

I know in Oz they graft B acerifolius onto B rupestris at about 5' or 6'.  It gives that really cool loking bottle on the bottom with a great bloomer on the top.  This one doesn't look grafted, but it could be.  In South Florida, there is much confusion as to species because only a few people grow them and they are quite unusual here.

Jerry

[Cycadcenter]

Jerry,

Yes they are doing a lot of grafting and hybridizing of brachychitons in Australia,  There seems to be much more of that in the nursery industry there than here with wonderful new hybrid flowering eucs etc.

The secret to getting a nice bottle is to plant them in the ground when they are about 3' tall.  

We have several thousand seedlings at the Childers property in Qld which will be field grown next year as it is now illegal to remove them from the bush there.

Here are a few photos of habitat and street trees in Oz.

[Eric in Orlando]

Great photos of a cool tree. The best I have seen in FL is a specimen at the Ringling estate and Museum in Sarasota;

and here is a young one here at Leu Gardens;

[Jeff Searle]

That's quite impressive! It's a shame it takes almost a lifetime to get that big.

Jeff

[fastfeat]

(Cycadcenter @ Jan. 14 2008,09:01)

QUOTE

Jerry,

Yes they are doing a lot of grafting and hybridizing of brachychitons in Australia,  There seems to be much more of that in the nursery industry there than here with wonderful new hybrid flowering eucs etc.

The secret to getting a nice bottle is to plant them in the ground when they are about 3' tall.  

We have several thousand seedlings at the Childers property in Qld which will be field grown next year as it is now illegal to remove them from the bush there.

Here are a few photos of habitat and street trees in Oz.

Bruce--

Nice large ones there.

I agree about starting them small. In addition, they shouldn't be rootbound or have girdling roots if the intent is to develop a good landscape tree. I've seen this species grown as a "character" plant (or bonsai) with the twisted, restricting roots partially exposed. Keep these in pots! They will make poor landscape trees if planted out. These require a sound root structure to support trunk and foliar weight just like any other tree.

A large one (3' diameter or so) at Fullerton (CA) Arboretum has been slowly listing to one side for years due to a large girdling root. One day it will become permanently spilled...

[swamptreenelly]

http://i207.photobucket.com/albums/bb221/s...y/FLAMETREE.jpg

Flame Tree Bloom in Union City, Ca.

http://www.fremontica.com/roadsid....t_n=296

[XYZ]

Ken et. al.:

I have 10 of these in 1gl pots...still about 3-4' tall and I suspect this is about where I need to decide whether they go "big bonsai" or into the ground this Spring.

The concept of top grafting acerifolius onto them seems to have great merit...

[XYZ]

Ken et. al.

I have 10 of these in 1 gl pots here that are about 3-4' tall. I suspect from comments above that I need to decide rapidly whether these saplings get prep'd and trained for "big bonsai" or go into the ground for landscape use.

The concept of top-grafting acerifolius onto these  seems to have great merit, given the showy flowers of this sp. Coincidentally, I have seedlings of a red-flowered Brachychiton sp. from Jason Cox that look to be choppable in a couple of months. Any recommendations as to what grafting technique would be best to change canopy on this species?

Cheerio,

Jay

[BigFrond]

I want one of these.  There's one at the Wild Animal Park here in San Diego (really Escondido).  My B. acerifolius was taken out by the last Santa Ana wind.  I still have my B. discolor although I had to lop off the top because of the Santa Ana wind threatening to take it out too.

[Cycadcenter]

Bigfrond,

WE have Acerfolius, australis, populenus, discolor, bidwilli and rupestris available from 5gal - 36 box size.

Infact we just supplied a truckload to Wild Animal Park for one of their new landscaping projects,

Send me a PM if you need some

Bruce

[STEVE IN SO CAL]

I hear it's best to top them at about 5' for the fatty look....?

[Cycadcenter]

Just a note that if there is anyone in New York who wants 3 x 24" box size rupestris there will probably be three available there next week.  

Qantas just called and they want to fly them from Los Angeles to New York to use in a 3 minute segment on G'Day Australia TV program next week.  

Bruce

[tropicalb]

WOAH!!!!

hellllllooooooooooooo.............STEEEEEEEEVE.

[DoomsDave]

That tree is sho-nuff spectacular . . . .