The Queensland Bottle Tree, Brachychiton rupestris, gained its name from its bulbous trunk, which can get up to 11' in diameter.
It can easily be transplanted and large specimens of this tree have been moved within Australia and throughout the world, often with little or no roots attached and with considerable time between digging an replanting.
Aboriginal people made use of the trees through eating the roots of young plants and by consuming secretions from the trunk that were induced by wounds. Fiber obtained from the tree was also used to make nets. The leaves have been used for fodder and Queensland farmers often leave bottle trees as a potential food source when the land is cleared. During drought conditions, whole trees have been felled to feed stock. The soft edible pulp inside the trunk is exposed by removing the bark. The pulp is energy-rich but protein-poor, and occasional cases of nitrate poisoning have led to cattle deaths.