Q: I recently moved to a house in Phoenix, and am trying to understand the various plants in my yard. I have a couple trees that drop pods, which are very hard and dry when they fall (I haven’t seen them on the tree yet). The tree itself is deciduous, with sturdy branches extending from the trunk and “weeping,” vine-like branches that contain the leaves. Does anyone have any idea what this tree is? If so, are the pods edible?
A: Your trees are called bottle trees (Brachychiton populneus). This is an Australian native that does well here and averages 30 feet tall and wide at maturity. It isn’t supposed to be deciduous, so if it is dropping leaves unexpectedly, there could be a problem. The leaf photo you sent shows a nutrient deficiency, and that could cause the trees to drop leaves.
Make sure you are giving it proper fertilization and irrigation to remedy the leaf symptom. Since it is a relatively large evergreen tree, it is popular for producing shade. However, its size makes it too big for small landscapes and more appropriate for parks. The pods are not edible and might be the downsides of these trees if you use a reel lawn mower, walk around in bare feet, or don’t like picking them up. This species is susceptible to Texas root rot, and should not be planted in areas where this disease is known to occur.
Peter L. Warren is the urban horticulture agent for the Pima County Cooperative Extension and the University of Arizona. Questions may be emailed to tucsongardensage@gmail.com
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