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Other Names:  Narrow-leaved Bottle Tree, Bottletree

Description:

This drought tolerant tree is perfect for dry, sandy sites; attractive green glossy foliage backdrops showy clusters of cream and red flowers in late spring and summer before the new leaves; a beautiful accent tree for a sunny location

Ornamental Features

Queensland Bottle Tree features showy clusters of creamy white bell-shaped flowers with red overtones at the ends of the branches from late spring to early summer before the leaves. It has attractive green evergreen foliage. The glossy narrow leaves are highly ornamental and remain green throughout the winter. The fruits are showy tan pods displayed from late summer to early fall. The mottled gray bark adds an interesting dimension to the landscape.

Landscape Attributes

Queensland Bottle Tree is an evergreen tree with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance tree, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting bees and butterflies to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Queensland Bottle Tree is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Shade

Planting & Growing

Queensland Bottle Tree will grow to be about 40 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 30 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 5 feet from the ground, and should not be planted underneath power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 60 years or more.

This tree should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for xeriscaping or the moisture-conserving landscape. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in sandy soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is not originally from North America.