Sticky Kurrajong / Kimberley Rose -Brachychiton viscidulus
Sticky Kurrajong / Kimberley Rose -Brachychiton viscidulus
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This startling specimen of a Kimberley Rose sits in Amalia Gorge in El Questro. You will definitely want to keep an eye out for it on our 13 Day Kimberley Tour. As you come around a corner on the track it sits high on a hill, it’s red flowers, cutouts against a clear blue sky.
The Sticky Kurrajong (I much prefer its stage name, the Kimberley Rose) is only found in the Kimberley region. A deciduous tree, the Kimberley Rose produces the most startling display of red trumpet flowers during dry season (winter) once it has shed its leaves. The scarlet flowers sprouting from dark twisted bark is one of the most striking sites in the Kimberley. The tree can grow anywhere from 2 – 10m high and favours sandy/rocky areas. As its name suggests it produces very sticky fruit.
The sticky Kurrajong has many uses for indigenous people, its seeds are a tasty treat, (once the small irritable hairs that cover the seeds have been burned off) and they can even be roasted over coals and used to make coffee. Its gnarled bark is great for rope and its roots can be eaten raw.
