QUEENSLAND LACEBARK

Brachychiton discolor

Plant Family

Malvaceae

Alternative Common Names

Lacebark tree, lace kurrajong, pink kurrajong, scrub bottle tree, white kurrajong, hat tree and sycamore.

An attractive tree up to 30 metres tall. The trunk is straight, grey and cylindrical, up to 75 cm in diameter. Twigs hairy, brown and smooth.

Leaves - hairy; lobed in three, five or seven points. 10 to 20 cm in diameter. Whitish underneath, dark green above. Leaf veins visible on both sides.

Flowers - pink bell shaped without petals, almost without stalks, 3 to 4 cm in diameter. Separate male and female flowers.

Pods - hairy boat shaped follicle maturing from December to July. 7 to 20 cm long, containing up to 30 seeds, 9 mm long. Germination from fresh seed occurs without difficulty.

Flowering November – February

Indigenous uses - wood used as shields. Roasted seeds are edible.