January 23rd, 2016: Australian Flametree (Brachychiton acerifolius) by MargaretK

The Bloom of the Day for January 23rd, 2016 was Australian Flametree (Brachychiton acerifolius).

View the bloom of the day here: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/botd.php?date=2016-01-23

Wow, Brachychiton acerifolius is amazing!

This particular tree is stunning specimen. It hasn't flowered for the past two or three years, but when it does, it's mind-bogglingly gorgeous.

Brachychitons are an amazing group of trees which include the Queensland Bottle Tree, Brachychiton rupestris, which has a hugely swollen trunk like a boab.

Thanks for that extra info Margaret and the pics, I'm smitten for sure. That specimen is stunning, imagine the energy it has to build for that explosion. Two - three years between blooms is understandable. I think I'll go ask google to show me more...

Margaret, you have the BEST trees! I wish you would post more photos to PFs!

Kell let the cat out of the bag Margaret...please show us more (what's the 'on my knees begging symbol?)!

I'll see what I can find to post. Milko, you might also like to check out Brachychiton discolor. The one we have in our yard is breathtaking when it's in full flower.

Yes! Brachychiton discolor be still my heart! At least the one in Margaret's yard.
Here is her photo!

The Brachychiton discolor in Margaret's yard is spectacular Kell... wow! Thanks for the spring fever reliever.

Sorry about the misspelling, Mipii. Damned autocorrect.

This spring/summer and now into autumn, the discolor had a partial moult and a partial flowering. The spectacular display such as in the photo Kell posted happens about every 2-4 years, but whether full or partial display, there are flowers on the tree for up to 9 (yes nine) months.

Auto correct knows Robin, you can call me anything though. In retrospect Mipii was a poor avatar choice in 2007.

Back to Brachychiton discolor...WOW! That explains why your tree looked so much better than google's trees. Nine months is an incredibly long bloom period, did I say wow? Those aren't tiny blooms either. If you had a grove of them Margaret, would they all be in sync with their full bloom cycle?

A grove would be so beautiful. My observation with our Brachychitons is that they do what they want, when they want, so I suspect their bloom cycle wouldn't be synched.