Description

Brachychiton populneus — we wonder how many in its native Australia call it by that name.  The kurrajong, or bottle tree, is a small- to medium-sized tree found naturally there.

It makes sense that it can be found, a thriving import, in semi-arid Southern California. In a tree-friendly neighborhood, we had paid it no heed — it didn’t stand out like a foreign invader — until, walking one day, these fascinating seed pods caught our eye. Any lower and they could’ve given us a black eye.

Photographer’s note: The tree was carrying no ID and was unfamiliar to me. But Google Images informs us this likely was a kurrajong — Brachychiton populneus, AKA bottle tree. (We’re using that, so we hope Google has it right.)