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|genus = ''Brachychiton'' |species = ''B. rupestris'' |binomial = ''Brachychiton rupestris'' |binomial_authority = (T.Mitch. ex Lindl.) K.Schum. |synonyms= ''Delabechea rupestris'' T.Mitch. ex Lindl. Brachychiton delabechei'' F.Muell. ''Sterculia rupestris'' (T.Mitch. ex Lindl.) Benth. ''Brachychiton rupestre'' orth. var. K.A.W.Williams |}} ''Brachychiton rupestris'', commonly known as the narrow-leaved bottle tree or Queensland bottle tree, is a tree in the family Malvaceae native to Queensland, Australia. Discovered and described by Sir Thomas Mitchell and John Lindley in 1848, it gains its name from its bulbous trunk, which can be up to diameter at breast height (DBH). Reaching high, the Queensland bottle tree is deciduous, losing its leaves briefly between September and December. The leaves are simple or divided, with one or more narrow leaf blades up to long and wide. The cream flowers appear from September to November, and are followed by the woody boat-shaped follicles, which are ripe from November to May. No subspecies are recognised. As a drought-deciduous succulent tree, ''Brachychiton rupestris'' adapts readily to cultivation and is tolerant of a range of various soils and temperatures. It is a key component and emergent tree in the endangered central semi-evergreen vine thickets—also known as bottletree scrub—of Queensland Brigalow Belt. Remnant trees are often left by farmers on cleared land for their value as shade and fodder trees. ==Description== ''Brachychiton rupestris'' grows as a succulent tree reaching (rarely ) in height,〔 though plants in cultivation are usually shorter. The thick trunk is tall, with a diameter at breast height (DBH). It has dark grey bark and is marked by shallow tessellation and deeper fissures. Smaller branches are light green or grey, as are the trunks of immature trees. Like those of all members of the genus, the leaves are alternately arranged along the stems.〔 ''Brachychiton rupestris'' is deciduous. Trees in their native habitat are typically leafless between September and December; however the timing, duration and extent of leaf drop may be affected by extremes of rainfall or drought.〔 Sometimes trees shed leaves from only some branches. On every tree the leaves vary in shape, ranging from narrow and elliptic to deeply divided.〔 The upper surface is glossy, contrasting with a pale undersurface. The adult leaf blades are long and wide with pointed (acuminate or apiculate) tips. They have a raised midrib on the upper and lower surface, with 12-25 pairs of lateral veins that are more prominent on the upper surface, arising at 50-60 degrees from the midrib. The compound juvenile leaves have 3-9 spear-shaped (lanceolate) or linear lobes. These each measure long and wide.〔 Panicles of creamy-yellow flowers with red markings appear from September to November in the species' native range. These arise from axillary buds on end branches. Each panicle contains 10-30 flowers and is long. Each flower is long and wide. The length of the lobes of the perianth are more than half the perianth diameter.〔 Like all ''Brachychiton'' species, ''B. rupestris'' is monoecious—each plant has distinct male and female flowers.〔 Male flowers have 15 stamens, with pale yellow anthers, while female flowers have cream or white stigmas surrounded by rudimentary stellate (star-shaped) carpels, which sit atop the ovaries.〔 Groups of 3 to 5 woody boat-shaped follicles,〔 each containing 4 to 8 (or occasionally up to 12) seeds, develop from November to May. Smooth on the outer surface and hairy inside, the follicles split along their length to reveal the seeds, which are covered by a hairy coating known as the exotesta. The seeds are ovoid with a smooth surface, and are long by wide.〔 The closely related Proserpine bottle tree (''Brachychiton compactus'') that occurs only in the vicinity of the town of Proserpine can be distinguished by its more oval leaves, more compact flower heads and longer ellipsoid follicles. The undescribed Ormeau bottle tree has brighter lime-green new foliage and leaves otherwise similar to the Proserpine bottle tree. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Brachychiton rupestris」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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