Thanks for the replies, "....There are Parrotias at the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden." Your talking about the one in Federal Way? I was thinking to go and look at some gardens for inspiration and was planning on visiting gardens near Seattle. So, that one would be one the way. :) Larry, I went to check out the Tanyoshu Pine yesterday. Thank You for letting me know where to find one. NE 39th and Couch in PDX. A little too big perhaps, but very, very impressive. I will have to see what my wife thinks... Thank You All, Mike Here is a link that might be useful: Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden

If you're wanting to ID plantation forestry species or amenity species (eg eucalypts or deciduous species) you might find it helpful to contact your local farm forestry people or Tree Crops Association, and go prepared with plant material/photographs and info on the location. If the plants are on your property that will probably cause you few problems. Another possible source for tree ID is to call a logging contractor. They can usually tell the difference between Douglas fir and spruce..;-D. It could be part of establishing your baseline property values - and arranging for pruning/thinning to get the best return on your timber crops. If they're not indigneous species - and you're a confident photographer - try using the 'Name That Plant!' forum on the main listing. If you check it out first you'll quickly see the photographs that help the plant sleuths - and the ones that cause severe head-scratching...

I don't think so, Judy. The fruits don't look large enough to me, and I wasn't expecting them to go black. The Brisrain site that Frank has posted above shows the typical fluted trunk of an older tree, but I don't know how young the "flutes" develop, so I wouldn't rule your obviusly younger tree out because of the smooth trunk. It's hard to identify a plant a photo though unless it's something one knows well, and I can't pick yours. Do you know of the book:Rainforest Trees and Shrubs" by Harden, G: et al? It is a very good book for identification of rainforest trees in Northern NSW and SE Qld, and your tree might be one that also grows here - or it might be a closely related one, which you can then track down from local plant lists. You might find your local council or landcare groups can help you with the identification, or failing that, press a bit of small branch with some leaf on it and send to the herbarium with a bit of the fruit and a description of the tree size etc. They offer a free identification service, which is a great help, and you would get a letter back in a few weeks. I wish you luck, It really is worth pursuing your own knowledge of your own local native species, as some underappreciated gems with great garden petential can be uncovered this way. Cheers, Trish

Australian Species of Brachychiton that I know about: Latin.Name.................Common.Name.......................................Comments accuminatus.. acerifolius.....................Flame.Tree...............................................Bright.red.flowers australis.. bidwillii............................................................................................Pink.flowers compactus.. discolor...........................................................................................Deep.pink.flowers diversifolius.. paradoxum.. populneus...................Kurrajong;.Black.Kurrajong........................Pale.green.outside;.pale.pink.inside rupestrus....................Bottle.Tree..................................................White.flowers Cheers, Frank