Queensland Bottle Tree

If you want to plant a tree to get the neighbours talking then this is the one for you. The Bottle Tree is a hardy and adaptable Australian native; it tolerates a variety of climates and soil types and can be grown in a large pot in cooler regions. The unique swollen bottle-shaped trunk develops in 5 – 7 years, giving it a comical look, like something you would expect to see in a Dr Seuss book! Valuable beyond its aesthetics, its seeds, root, stems and bark have all been traditionally used by both people and animals. Aboriginals have historically carved holes in the soft bark to access the water quite literally ‘bottled’ between the inner bark and the trunk, as well as used the fibrous inner bark to make twine and netting. The Bottle Tree can tolerate robust transplantation, surviving long periods before being replanted. Slow growth rate.