最近,一株巨大的昆士兰瓶树(Brachychiton rupestris)远度重洋,落户于南京中山植物园。昆士兰瓶树是梧桐科瓶树属植物,别名瓶子树、狭叶瓶树。分布于澳洲昆士兰中西部较干旱地区,为热带疏林生境。昆士兰瓶树是一种高大的乔木,树干中部膨大,上下较细,形似一只巨大的花瓶,又像弥勒佛的肚子,故又称之为“佛肚树”。树枝茂盛,叶型由掌状至披针形,有极大的变化,幼苗时为掌状叶,成株逐渐转变为披针形,花似风铃,成熟的瞢荚果开裂为船型。树干上半部的表皮淡绿色,具有进行光合作用的功能,下半部的树皮灰白色。种子可食。生长非常缓慢,昆士兰瓶树在生长约15 Recently, a giant Brachychiton rupestris tree has settled afar across the Zhongshan Botanical Garden in Nanjing. Queensland bottle tree is Sympodaceae Bottlenose plant, alias bottle tree, narrow leaf bottle tree. Distributed in the western Midlands of Queensland more arid regions, tropical sparse forest habitat. Queensland bottle tree is a tall tree, central trunk swollen, up and down thin, shaped like a huge vase, like the stomach of the Buddha Maitreya, it is also known as “Buddha belly tree.” Lush branches, leaves from palmate to lanceolate, has a great change, when the seedling palm leaves, adult gradually transformed into a lanceolate, flowers like Campanula, ripe pod cracking for the ship type. The upper half of the trunk of the pale green, with the function of photosynthesis, the lower part of the bark gray. Seeds edible. Growth is very slow, queensland bottle tree grows about 15