Tree ID please

[Aquaman]

Hi,

I have this tree growing outside my house and I would love to know what it is.

It's about 30 feet tall. Has dark green deeply lobed leaves, red/orange flowers and brown woody seed pods. The seed pods contain seeds with a rectangular wing.

The seeds seem to germinate in just about any conditions. I recently cleaned out my pool filter and there were hundreds of these seeds in there and about 90% of them had germinated. The pool is chlorinated salt water and the seeds passed through a pump to get to the filter!

I also have them growing in just about every crack in my paving and every pot in the garden.

Its definitely a prolific breeder.

Any help identifying it would be great.

Cheers.

[Ash]

Your tree is none other than the famous firewheel tree Stenocarpus sinuatus in my opinion one of the loveliest Proteaceae trees to occur in northern Queensland. Ash

[EdwardH]

Has any attempted to bonsai a Stenocarpus sinuatus? They would look spectacular in flower. I wonder if the leaves reduce in size

[Peterji]

Yep. Your tree is Stenocarpus sinuatus. It's range extends from Nth Queensland as far south as the Nambucca Valley and it does well around Sydney. Never seen one trained as a bonsai. Leaf reduction would seem to be a bit daunting.

[Boics]

Amazing how coincidences occur.
I was at the royal botanic gardens in Melbourne yesterday and saw this tree for the first time.
It has a spectacular and particularly unique flower.

What do you know it pops up on Ausbonsai a day later!

[Aquaman]

Thanks for the feedback.

Now I look at flowers I can see how it got its name.

Shame it's not suitable for bonsai. I could grow hundreds of them. But the leaves are very big.

It's amazing how much trouble I go to growing trees like maples with the seeds in the fridge for months etc. This thing germinates like a weed.

[Boics]

I don't see anyone saying it can't be done in this thread?
There are heaps of big leaf tree varieties that reduce well via various techniques.
Considering you have a plentiful supply I'd give some of theses reduction techniques a go and see what happens!
Doesn't sound like you have anything to lose!

I've a couple of common figs (ficus carica) growing and their leaves are massive but can and do reduce well.