JIMMY BARNES PLANTS FLAME TREE IN ARBORETUM
Australian rock legend Jimmy Barnes joined Chief Minister Jon Stanhope today to plant a Flame tree in the Central Valley of the National Arboretum.
The Flame tree or Brachychiton acerifolius grows to 15 metres in height and is considered one of Australia's most spectacular flowering trees. The species was made famous by Jimmy Barnes in Cold Chisel's 1984 hit song ‘Flame Trees' - a song not only written about the tree, but of lost loves or old flames.
Speaking at today's ceremony, Mr Stanhope said this latest tree planting represented the growing national importance of the Arboretum. "It is fitting that the very artist who immortalised the Flame tree through song, should plant that very tree in Canberra's Arboretum," Mr Stanhope said. The Flame tree is recognised for its bright red bell-shaped flowers that often cover the entire tree before the foliage emerges in late spring and early summer. It is said that the flowering tree is a sight never to be forgotten - a vivid scarlet blur.
The tree was planted in the Arboretum's Central Valley, which is reserved for plantings by iconic Canberrans and Australians and visiting dignities. The public can experience the developing Arboretum at the public open day hosted by the Friends of the National Arboretum on Sunday March 20.
