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Plants are tolerant of dry conditions, easy to propagate and have many interesting features. Naturally distributed from north-eastern Victoria to Townsville and from the coast through to the semi-arid inland, B. populneus inhabits various well-drained soil types, often occurring among rocky outcrops of granite or limestone and also thriving on deeper soils in some areas. The species Brachychiton populneus has two subspecies that differ in adult leaf shape. Subspecies trilobus has a more northerly and inland distribution and displays leaves with 3, sometimes 5 narrow lobes. The adult leaves of subspecies populneus have reduced side lobes and appear more like those of poplars (Populus species). Flowers are bell-shaped and whitish in color with the inner flower tube streaked purple-brown. Cultivated hybrids involving B. populneus display pink or red flowers. Seeds are borne within woody, boat-shaped fruit 1"-4" long and are surrounded by fine hairs that can cause skin and eye irritation. Juvenile plants, which display attractive lobed leaves and swollen taproots, make good pot-plants tolerant of dry and pot-bound conditions that respond well to pruning. Trees are typically stout with glossy-green foliage and are widely used as street trees in Australia and overseas. Native populations on agricultural land are often retained to provide dense shade and drought fodder. Leaves lopped from branches are nutritious and desirable to stock, however consumption of the fruit may cause illness. The deep rooting trees have minimal impacts on cropping and also support honey production. Ground-up seeds can be brewed into a coffee substitute or added to bread. The swollen, carrot-like taproot is a nutritious and agreeable vegetable and the gum exudate is also edible. Kurrajong fibre taken from the stem has been used in twine and netting manufacture. Propagation is from seed or cutting. Seeds are readily germinated and immersion in warm-hot water then soaking for 12 hours enhances success. Care must be taken to avoid the irritating hairs surrounding the seeds. Cuttings from plants with desirable characteristics may be grafted onto seedling rootstock. Plants to 6Ft respond well to transplantation if the swollen taproot is conserved and the branches trimmed to reduce water loss. By: Australian National Botanic Gardens

Several species of Kalanchoe may be found growing as houseplants in Canada and the USA. The young plantlets which grow along the leaf edges are easily dislodged to become new plants and can be found in profusion around the base of the adult plant. Blooms with showy bright pink bells. Easy to grow, tolerates drought and almost any conditions.

Caesalpinia mexicana is evergreen shrub or small tree. The foliage is similar to Mimosa spp. and is light green in color. Showy fragrant, yellow flowers (3 to 6 inches )blooms all summer! Seeds and parts of the plant are poisonous if ingested. Mexican Bird of Paradise is heat and drought tolerant and can grow to 10-20' tall. Caesalpinia mexicana prefers partial shade or partial sun to full sun and needs well drained soil.

Peacock flower lives up to its name with incredibly showy blossoms of orange and red. The striking flowers are an attention grabber! Evergreen shrub or small tree in frost free climates, a deciduous shrub in zone 9, and a returning perennial in zone 8. In the tropics it gets 15-20' tall and its ungainly, wide spreading branches can cover about the same width. In cultivation the peacock flower is usually 8-12' tall, growing that large even after freezing to the ground the previous winter. The stem, branches and petioles are armed with sharp spines and the leaves are fernlike and twice compound, with many small, oval leaflets. The flowers are bowl shaped, 2-3" across, with five crinkled, unequal red and orange petals, and ten prominent bright red stamens that extend way beyond the corolla. The flowers are borne in terminal clusters 8-10" tall throughout most of the year in tropical climates and in late summer and fall where frosts occur. There also are forms with yellow and forms with dark red flowers. The fruits, typical legumes, are flat, 3-4" long, and when ripe they split open noisily to expose the little brown beans. Very easy to grow in alkaline to acidic, well-drained soils. This is a fast growin plant. It is moderately tolerant of salty conditions. Peaccock flower benefits from pruning, and can be shaped to tree form or shrubby bush form. Use peacock flower as a specimen or in a mixed shrub border. It has an open, spreading habit and the branches sometimes get too long for their own good and break off. Still, a line of peacock flowers makes a showy fine-textured screen or informal hedge. You can cut peacock flower to the ground in late winter or early spring to get a bushier, more compact shrub.

Varieties:

Caesalpinia pulcherrima Compton

Caesalpinia pulcherrima var. flava

Caesalpinia pulcherrima Lemon Lace

Caesalpinia pulcherrima Mexican Flame

Caesalpinia pulcherrima var. rosea

The National Flower of Barbados. It appears on the Barbados Coat of Arms. References to this flower were recorded as early as 1657. It is a shrub and is often pruned into a low hedge. If untrimmed it grows to a height of 10 to 15 feet. The Pride of Barbados blooms all year round, the more common varieties of caesalpinia are a fiery red and yellow "sunset color" although other variations can be found. The flower has five petals with a yellow margin in a pyramidal inflorescence. Each flower is about 1.5 inches across with five sepals. The ten stamens are long and the pistils project from the center of the flower. The fifth petal is far smaller than the other four. The stamens have colored filaments with anthers at the tips however, the eleventh filament bears a stigma and is the style. The branches a prickly and the leaves are large and doubly compound about one foot long and six inches wide with many small leaflets.