Illawarra is a photograph by Michaela Perryman which was uploaded on May 23rd, 2020.
Illawarra
Brachychiton acerifolius, commonly known as the Illawarra flame tree, is a large tree of the family Malvaceae native to subtropical regions on the... more
Title
Illawarra
Artist
Michaela Perryman
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Brachychiton acerifolius, commonly known as the Illawarra flame tree, is a large tree of the family Malvaceae native to subtropical 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 genus Brachychiton, it is commonly referred to as a Kurrajong.
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.
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 of humans, as well as yellow seeds. These are nutritious and are traditionally eaten by Indigenous Australians after toasting
Photographed in spring Kwinana, Western Australia
Featured in
Just Perfect 23/05/2020
4th place in Australian Tree Challenge - June 2020
Please not FAA watermark will not show on purchased products
Uploaded
May 23rd, 2020
More from Michaela Perryman
Comments (6)
Kathryn Jones
A truly spectacular tree! Amazing that it should have so few leaves and yet such an abundance of blossoms.
Lesley Evered
A very lovely sight. Its good to see a whole tree of this species....often only close ups of flowers are shown. Favourite and Like
Rene Crystal
Mik, what a stunning tree! I'm an old tree hugger and this certainly is one that deserves hugging! Most certainly deserves a L/F.
Michaela Perryman replied:
They put on a stunning show each year, thank you for your comment and l/f
Recently Viewed
