Illawarra Flame Tree

Brachychiton acerifolius

“Drops all its leaves. Then turns completely red. No warning.”

In early summer, the flame tree drops every leaf and replaces them with dense clusters of bright scarlet bell-shaped flowers — the entire canopy turns red with no green visible. The effect is so dramatic it's disorienting. Then the leaves come back. Evergreen the rest of the year. Queensland native. Thrives in Zone 9–11 and dry-summer climates. One of the most spectacular flowering trees that will actually survive a Texas summer.