Martha's exotic Backyard in Israel

Brachychiton discolor, Lacebark,
ברכיכיטון דו-גוני

Scientific name:  Brachychiton discolor F.Muell.
Common name:  Lacebark
Hebrew name:   ברכיכיטון דו-גוני
Family:  Malvaceae / Sterculiaceae, סטרקוליים

Israel Flora, Exotic flowers

Life form:  Tree
Stems:  Up to 30 m high; trunk straight, grey, cylindrical; twigs hairy, brown, smooth
Leaves:  Alternate, margins lobed, 3 to 5 veined from the base, hairless, very variable in shape from entire to 3, 5 or 7 lobed, 9—25 cm diam.
Inflorescence:  Panicles of 18 to 20 cm. at the ends of the branches
Flowers:  Deep pink bell shaped flowers
Fruits:  Clusters of large boat-shaped follicles, 10 to 12cm long, containing numerous oval, yellow seeds
Flowering Period:  Early summer
Origin:  New South Wales to southern Queensland, Australia

Brachychiton discolor, Lacebark, ברכיכיטון דו-גוני


Derivation of the botanical name:
Brachychiton, Greek brachys, 'short'; chiton, a 'tunic', a reference to the coating on the seed.
discolor, two different colours.
  • The standard author abbreviation F.Muell. is used to indicate Ferdinand von Mueller (1825 – 1896), a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist.