The bottlebrush tree

Bottlebrush tree is a small but spectacular evergreen tree or bush. It belongs to the family Myrtaceae, and is also known as Callistemon or Bottlebrush Tree. Bottlebrush tree is native to Australia mostly growing in moist soil in open or woodland sites. It is easy to grow. Bottlebrush trees grow superbly in the regions where the climate is warm, humid, and receive full sunlight. The bottlebrush tree derives its name from the fact that the bright red flowers that it bears have the shape of a bottle brush. The flowers are bright purple, pink, and red, and attract nectar-feeding birds and insects. The flower spikes of the bottlebrush trees are made of several individual flowers. The flower spike formation occurs in the spring and summer seasons. The filament (a long, red or yellow colored stalk) holds the pollen at its tip, and gives the flower spike a distinctive color and the so-called "bottle brush" shape. The flowers produces small woody fruit that contain numerous seeds. The fruit form along the stem, and are found in bunches. A peculiar quality of bottlebrush trees is that they hold the fruit for several years and do not release the seeds. But there are certain species of bottlebrush trees where seeds are found to be released by the fruit in a year's time. Fire is known to stimulate the fruit to open. The bottlebrush tree's foliage is also very ornamental. The leaves are often dark green, aromatic, and are laden with soft, fine hairs.There is a species of bottlebrush trees which is highly ornamental and is called the white bottlebrush tree. It is striking to look at and is the most favorite among gardeners. It has beautiful leaves, flowers and bark. The leaves are willow-like and bright green in color. This is why the white bottle brush tree is also known as the willow bottlebrush tree. The leaves are elliptical in shape with an approximate length of 5 - 9 cm, and a width of 0.4 - 1.5 cm. The flowers are creamy-white and appear in late spring. Even the trunk of this bottle brush tree is very attractive, with a paper-barked appearance. The trunk color is a mixture of cream and tan.