Brachychiton
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Brachychiton acerifolius in full bloom |
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| Schott & Endl. |
Brachychiton or bottle trees , is a plant genus in the family of mallow (Malvaceae). The botanical name ( Greek : brachys = short, chiton = coating) refers to the coating of the seeds that is typical for the genus.
description
They are trees or bushes that reach heights of 1 to 45 meters. The trunks are bulbous or columnar; sometimes they have multiple shoots, often they are succulent . They shed all or part of their leaves or they are evergreen . The bark often remains green for decades, i.e. alive without the formation of a corky bark. The alternate , stalked leaves are usually undivided, sometimes three- to nine-lobed.
They are single sexed ( monoecious ). The inflorescences are mostly loose panicles with few to many, unisexual and stalked flowers . The inflorescence consists of four to eight tepals fused into a bell-shaped or tubular shape with free-standing lobes. The male flowers carry a stalked bundle of 10, 15 or 20 to 32 tubular fused stamens (Androeceum). The female flowers have a free, einfächrigen ovary with a five pen and five-pointed scar . In male flowers the stigma remains undeveloped, in female flowers the pollen sacs remain underdeveloped, so that the stamens become staminodes . The seeds falling out of the ellipsoid 2 to 20 cm long, boat-shaped, pointed, woody and hairy follicles are partially surrounded by a (stiff) hairy cover (Exotesta).
Systematics and distribution
The genus Brachychiton , which contains more than 30 species, is native to Australia and New Guinea . The main area of distribution is the coastal area of Queensland , in the interior, however, only very few species occur. The species native to New Guinea are very rare and endangered.
In the literature, the genus belonging to the plant family of the stink tree family (Sterculiaceae) is often indicated, but this is now regarded as the subfamily Sterculioideae of the mallow family (Malvaceae).
Synonyms are: Delabechea Lindl. , Poecilodermis Schott , Trichosiphum Schott & Endl.
species
- Brachychiton acerifolius ( A. Cunn. ) F. Muell. (Syn .: Sterculia acerifolia A.Cunn. Ex G.Don , German "Australischer Flammenbaum", Portuguese "Árvore do Fogo"): a tree up to 35 m high, usually much smaller in culture with striking red flowers in the dry season ( "Flame Tree") from New South Wales and Queensland .
- Brachychiton acuminatus G.P.Guymer : a 2.5 to 6 m high, white flowering tree from northern Western Australia .
- Brachychiton albidus G.P.Guymer : a tree from Queensland.
- Brachychiton australis Schott & Endl. (Syn .: Sterculia trichosiphon Benth. , Trichosiphum australe Schott & Endl. ): A succulent, 8 to 25 m high tree with a columnar or bottle-shaped trunk ("bottle tree") and white to cream-colored flowers from Queensland.
- Brachychiton bidwillii Hook. : a variable, 2 to 4 m high tree with pink to red flowers from Queensland.
- Brachychiton carruthersii F. Muell. : a rare and still little known species from New Guinea, is on the red list of endangered species .
- Brachychiton chillagoensis G.P.Guymer : from Queensland.
- Brachychiton collinus G.P.Guymer : a thick-stemmed, up to 5-tall tree with small and tubular, white to cream-colored flowers from the Northern Territory
- Brachychiton compactus G.P.Guymer : a succulent, 8 to 15 m high tree with a bottle-shaped trunk ("bottle tree") and cream-colored, pink-striped flowers from Queensland and Northern Territory.
- Brachychiton discolor F. Muell. (Syn .: Brachychiton luridus C.Moore ex F.Muell. , Sterculia lurida (C.Moore ex F.Muell.) F.Muell. Ex Benth. ): A slightly succulent, thick-stemmed, up to 30 m high, but in culture mostly much smaller tree with magenta flowers from New South Wales and Queensland.
- Brachychiton diversifolius R.Br. , occurs in Australia
- Brachychiton fitzgeraldianus G.P.Guymer : Northern Territory and Western Australia.
- Brachychiton garrawayae (Bailey) GPGuymer : a 4 to 8 m tall shrub or tree from Queensland.
- Brachychiton grandiflorus G.P.Guymer : Queensland
- Brachychiton gregorii F. Muell. : a 4 m high tree with yellow flowers from Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia .
- Brachychiton incanus R.Br. : a 4 to 6 m high tree with dark red flowers from N Western Australia.
- Brachychiton megaphyllus G.P.Guymer : a small (2 m) tree with up to 40 cm leaves and orange-red flowers from Northern Territory.
- Brachychiton muellerianus G.P.Guymer : a tree with magenta flowers from Queensland.
- Brachychiton multicaulis G.P.Guymer : a multi-stemmed tree with pink, orange or red flowers from the Northern Territory.
- Brachychiton obtusilobus G.P.Guymer : a 3.5 to 6 m high tree with cream-colored flowers from NW Western Australia.
- Brachychiton paradoxus Schott & Endl. (Syn .: Brachychiton ramiflorus R.Br. , Sterculia ramiflora (R.Br.) Benth. ): A 3 to 5 m high tree with red flowers from Northern Territory and Queensland
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Brachychiton populneus (Schott & Endl.) R.Br. (Syn .: Poecilodermis populnea Schott & Endl. , Sterculia diversifolia G.Don ): a tree up to 20 m high with (in youth) succulent beet roots and white to cream-colored flowers from New South Wales, Queensland, South with red spots on the inside Australia and Victoria .
- Brachychiton populneus ssp. trilobus G.P.Guymer : differs through three- to five-lobed leaves and is widespread north and further inland.
- Brachychiton rupestris ( T.Mitch. Ex Lindl. ) K.Schum. (Syn .: Delabechea rupestris T.Mitch. Ex Lindl. ): A succulent, 10 to 25 m high tree with a bottle-shaped trunk ("bottle tree") and cream-colored, pink-striped flowers from Queensland.
- Brachychiton spectabilis G.P.Guymer : Northern Territory
- Brachychiton tridentatus G.P.Guymer : Western Australia
- Brachychiton tuberculatus ( W.Fitzg. ) GPGuymer : a 2 to 7 m high tree with variable flower color (cream, green, orange, red) from N Northern Territory and Western Australia.
- Brachychiton velutinosus Kosterm. a rare species from Queensland and New Guinea, is on the Red List of Endangered Species .
- Brachychiton viridiflorus (W.Fitzg.) GPGuymer : a 2 to 8 m high tree with green / pink flowers from Western Australia.
- Brachychiton viscidulus (W.Fitzg.) Guymer : a small tree with red flowers and sticky fruits native to the Northern Territory and Western Australia.
- Brachychiton vitifolius ( Bailey ) GPGuymer : Queensland
- Brachychiton xanthophyllus G.P.Guymer : a 3 to 12 m high tree with pink flowers from Western Australia
Three other "good" species have not yet been officially described.
- Brachychiton spec. Altanmoui Range: Queensland
- Brachychiton spec. Ormeau: Queensland
- Brachychiton spec. Wangi (SEPickering 20): Northern Territory
There are also eight broad taxa that represent populations of natural hybrids that are, however, in the process of speciation.
- Brachychiton × allochrous G.P.Guymer
- Brachychiton × carneus G.P.Guymer
- Brachychiton × excellens G.P.Guymer
- Brachychiton × hirtellus G.P.Guymer : Northern Territory
- Brachychiton × incarnatus G.P.Guymer
- Brachychiton × roseus G.P.Guymer
- Brachychiton × turgidulus G.P.Guymer
- Brachychiton × vinicolor G.P.Guymer : New South Wales and Queensland
In addition to a few other species, Brachychiton australis and Brachychiton rupestris are widespread ornamental plants in Australia that are often found in parks and gardens . Their leaves and soft wood are also used as fodder .
literature
- David Bergamini: Australia: Flora and Fauna. Rowohlt 1975, ISBN 3-499-18052-9 .
- Gordon P. Guymer: A taxonomic revision of Brachychiton (Sterculiaceae). In: Australian Systematic Botany. 1: 199-323, 1989.
- RJ Fensham: Floristics and Environmental Relations of Inland Dry Rainforest in North Queensland, Australia. In: Journal of Biogeography. 22 (6): 1047-1063, 1995.
Web links
- The genre at GRIN.
- Brachychiton acerifolius
- Photo gallery
- Profile of the Brachychiton populneus
- Profile of the Brachychiton rupestris
Individual evidence
- ^ John H. Wiersema, Blanca León: World Economic Plants. CRC Press, 1999, ISBN 0-8493-2119-0 , pp. 82, 562.