Brachychiton
(from brachys, short, and chiton, a coat of mail; plants covered with imbricated hairs and scales). ORD. Sterculiaceae. A genus of tropical or subtropical Australian trees or shrubs, allied to Sterculia, from which it differs in very minor points. They are of easy culture in a loamy soil. Propagated by young cuttings, planted in sandy soil, in gentle heat. B. acerifolium (Acer-leaved). fl. bright red. l. long-stalked, deeply five to seven-lobed. h. from 60ft. to 120ft.
B. Bidwillii (Bidwill's).* fl. bright red, arranged in axillary bunches. l. stalked, heart-shaped, entire, or three-lobed, and covered with a soft pubescence. 1851. (B. M. 5133.) B. diversifolium (various-leaved). l. coriaceous, obtuse, lanceolate, entire, or three-lobed, glabrous; lobes acuminate. h. 20ft. to 60ft. 1824.