Plant Database
Bottle Tree
Brachychiton populneus
Bottle Tree is a distinctive and highly adaptable evergreen tree valued for its unique form, resilience, and shade. Its common name comes from the characteristic swollen, bottle-shaped trunk of young trees, which serves as a water reservoir in its native arid Australian habitat. The glossy, dark green leaves are variable—deeply lobed on young trees and simple and oval on mature specimens. In early summer, it produces clusters of small, bell-shaped, cream and red flowers followed by boat-shaped seed pods. A slow-growing but ultimately large tree, it provides excellent, dense shade with remarkable drought and heat tolerance.
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Unique Bottle-Shaped Trunk: Young trees develop a distinctive, swollen, water-storing trunk that adds sculptural interest to the landscape.
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Extremely Drought & Heat Tolerant: Once established, it is incredibly resilient, thriving with very little water and enduring intense heat and reflected sun.
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Dense, Evergreen Canopy: Matures into a tall, rounded tree with a thick canopy of glossy leaves, providing excellent, year-round shade.
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Low-Maintenance & Adaptable: Tolerates a wide range of soil types, including poor and alkaline soils, and has few pest problems.
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Excellent Urban & Shade Tree: A superb choice for parks, large gardens, streetscapes, and parking lots where a tough, low-water shade tree is needed.