Ormeau myrtle

This incredible tree is a ormeau myrtle of the more familiar Queensland Bottle-tree Brachychiton rupestris and other bottle-trees such as the Kurrajong B. It also appears not too dissimilar to the fascinating boab trees found throughout southern Africa, Madagascar and Western Australia. Indeed our native bottle-trees share the same genetic family group as the boabs; the Malvaceae family, and together they all bear varying degrees of plumpness around the waist! Without sounding too discouraging, ormeau myrtle, these guys have a characteristic swollen midriff, which is a fantastic evolutionary trait developed for water storage!

I have made some interesting observations over the years regarding the Brachychiton endemic to the Ormeau area, Brachychiton sp. It is listed as critically endangered under the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act and endangered under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act Fairly typical to many of the Brachychiton species, it will go through an array of morphological changes before it reaches mature foliage, which is simple; however, juvenile foliage is deeply lobed with long fingers. Flowers are greenish white and pods are brown and mm long. Pods generally contain one to five bright yellow seeds, but I have observed up to The seeds are covered in a hairy exotesta, the hairs are easily dislodged and cause some irritation. Of the limited population of mature specimens of this species that remain, only a few bear any quantity of seed, and even then, since the beginnings of my observations about 18 years ago, I have seen two fruiting episodes!

Ormeau myrtle

Last weekend I was with two other plant enthusiasts walking through the bush in a remote gorge between the suburban sprawl of Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Our aim was to increase the knowledge of and try to save a little known bottle tree species which occurs no where else on earth. Many of these majestic trees are in land earmarked for a Gravel Quarry so we were counting, measuring and mapping each tree with GPS. While searching for these odd pot bellied trees I noticed a shrub up to 2. The shrub grew on a rocky scree slope on the edge of the gorge under a dry rainforest canopy with emergent Ormeau Bottle Tree, the canopy included Huer Dissilaria baloghoides Yellow Tulip Drypetes deplanchei and Peanut Tree Sterculia quadrifida. At first I thought the shrub was a member of the Gossia genus due to its small leaves and fine reddish bark. On closer examination the new growth had fine hairs and the venation was similar to Cinnamon Myrtle Backhousia mytifolia. The next thought was that it was a mutant small leaved plant of Backhousia mrytifolia the normal form of which were common in other areas of the gorge but not at the site of the mystery shrub. The leaves however were only cm long while the leaves of typical B. Crushing the leaves yielded a typical myrtle or Eucalyptus smell while B. The mystery shrub was also profusely suckering and air layering a process where branches bend down to touch the ground and grow roots to become new trunks this habit was not like the B. The bark of this tree was smooth to finely fibrous while the bark of B. A Myrtaceae taxomomist from the Queensland Herbarium has confirmed this shrub as a probable species new to science.

Could that very tree, ormeau myrtle tree which always did seem a bit out-of-place to the group, in fact be a mature specimen of the young bottle-tree they were looking at at their feet? Brachychiton sp.

Brachychiton sp. Ormeau is a rare and endangered rainforest tree found in Queensland , Australia. A species of tree belonging to the genus Brachychiton , it reaches up to 25 metres in height. The leaves are dropped during the dry season, a time of year the species favours for reproduction, and return as pale to coppery coloured new growth. The flowering period is during September, the profuse display of green to white bell-shaped flowers appearing at the terminus of the branches;the width of each flower is around 10 mm. Fruiting pods appear from January to February, these are 3 cm long, brown, and boat-shaped.

This incredible tree is a cousin of the more familiar Queensland Bottle-tree Brachychiton rupestris and other bottle-trees such as the Kurrajong B. It also appears not too dissimilar to the fascinating boab trees found throughout southern Africa, Madagascar and Western Australia. Indeed our native bottle-trees share the same genetic family group as the boabs; the Malvaceae family, and together they all bear varying degrees of plumpness around the waist! Without sounding too discouraging, these guys have a characteristic swollen midriff, which is a fantastic evolutionary trait developed for water storage! Both the boabs and bottle-trees generally live in arid and semi-arid environments and so, perfecting the art of water storage, certainly has its benefits in times of drought while surrounding plant species often die off due to dehydration. Zooming into the Ormeau Valley on the Gold Coast in the s, Janet Hauser, a local botanical illustrator and amateur botanist, discovers what looks like a young Bracychiton, or bottle-tree species, growing in wet sclerophyll forest near a popular route she often took with fellow nature enthusiasts.

Ormeau myrtle

I have made some interesting observations over the years regarding the Brachychiton endemic to the Ormeau area, Brachychiton sp. It is listed as critically endangered under the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act and endangered under the Queensland Nature Conservation Act Fairly typical to many of the Brachychiton species, it will go through an array of morphological changes before it reaches mature foliage, which is simple; however, juvenile foliage is deeply lobed with long fingers. Flowers are greenish white and pods are brown and mm long. Pods generally contain one to five bright yellow seeds, but I have observed up to The seeds are covered in a hairy exotesta, the hairs are easily dislodged and cause some irritation. Of the limited population of mature specimens of this species that remain, only a few bear any quantity of seed, and even then, since the beginnings of my observations about 18 years ago, I have seen two fruiting episodes! Limitations on seed production and natural recruitment in seeding events are noticeable even before ripening.

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Brachychiton sp. I would greatly appreciate your help in directing us to any mature Brachychiton sp ormeau that are readily accessible to the public. I just got one at Northern Rivers Natives, just down the road…. This all led to an exciting survey conducted in by Healthy Land and Water. Open in Google Maps. But in the meantime, it is certainly a tree to be celebrated and is already much-loved by local Gold Coasters in the Ormeau region. The mystery shrub was also profusely suckering and air layering a process where branches bend down to touch the ground and grow roots to become new trunks this habit was not like the B. Any better alternatives? Without sounding too discouraging, these guys have a characteristic swollen midriff, which is a fantastic evolutionary trait developed for water storage! While observing the plant with fellow amateur botanist Glenn Leiper, a lightbulb suddenly came on in their heads. Retrieved 21 March As other plants that no longer tolerate increasing shade and moisture die off, and new ones that can colonise around these growing trees survive, they contribute to the build-up of organic matter in the soil. The base is about 3inches in diameter.

Ormeau, a residential suburb on the Pacific Highway in the Gold Coast hinterland, is 42 km from central Brisbane and 30 km north of Southport. Its northern boundary adjoins Yatala and its southern boundary is the Pimpama River. Ormeau was named after an early sugar plantation c owned by A.

Why not come along to our Ormeau Bottle-tree film release night along with three other features films on the 30th April at om at the Robina Community Centre Auditorium, Robina. I just got one at Northern Rivers Natives, just down the road…. Download as PDF Printable version. Records for the area indicate that the last time the trees produced a large quantity of seeds was a wet season also. What is Biodiversity anyway? While searching for these odd pot bellied trees I noticed a shrub up to 2. Article Talk. Do we need a second tree for fertile seed? View Full Newsletter. It was very disappointing. Keen to grow an Ormeau Bottle-tree? Some other rainforest trees such as the Celerywood Polyscias elegans also function in much the same way; bringing the rainforest with them as they establish and grow! The next thought was that it was a mutant small leaved plant of Backhousia mrytifolia the normal form of which were common in other areas of the gorge but not at the site of the mystery shrub. Keen to meet some of the crew in person? Can I send you some pictures for identification?