Queensland bottle tree

Brachychiton rupestris

Iconic Queensland endemic tree with massive swollen bottle-shaped trunk storing water for dry seasons. Small narrow leaves and inconspicuous cream flowers — the architectural trunk shape is the entire ornamental point.

Hardiness ratings

Queensland bottle tree hardiness across the four zone systems
SystemRatingTemperature rangeHow to read it
USDA hardiness zone Zone 9–11 −6.7 °C to 10 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone
RHS hardiness rating H2 1 °C to 5 °C Plant needs at least this level of cold tolerance
Canadian plant hardiness zone Zone 9 −1 °C and warmer Plant tolerates down to this zone
Australian (ANBG) zone Zone 4–7 0 °C and warmer Plant tolerates down to this zone

Growing notes

  • Endemic to subtropical inland Queensland — adapted to extreme drought, the swollen trunk is a water reservoir
  • Eventually 20 m tall with a trunk 2+ m in diameter at maturity — among the most architectural trees in cultivation, often used in modernist landscape design
  • Very slow growing — mature specimens often replanted from rural Queensland into Brisbane and southeast Queensland gardens
  • Tolerates poor soil, drought, and heat exceptionally well
  • Not reliably hardy outdoors in Canada — Canadian zone values shown represent the system maximum and do not imply garden cultivation north of the warmest coastal pockets.

Categories

Related plants

Cross-check Queensland bottle tree against your zones

Reference

Queensland bottle tree on Wikipedia