Problems With Bottle Trees Growing in the Desert

Q. My bottle tree trunk is turning somewhat of a burgundy color. I live in Las Vegas and they were planted just over a month ago. Some leaves are brown in full and some partially but overall seems alright minus the trunk having that reddish tone while the other 3 are greenish grey. 

A. I get more questions about this tree than probably any other. It has been touted as a "desert tree", but is it? Bottle trees are not really DESERT trees but more Mediterranean in their semi-arid agroclimatic origins. Think more like palms, olives, rosemary and even oleander.

Discoloration of the limbs

The "skin" or trunk and limb surfaces are photosynthetic (green) which means that they can manufacture its own energy besides 100% by the leaves as trees with dark brown limbs and trunk can. Some trees that have this quality can handle high light intensities that come with an open canopy.

Sunburn on bottle tree limbs. Notice that sunburn happens on the upper limb surfaces exposed to direct sunlight.

Unfortunately bottle tree of this type (Brachychiton populneus) doesn't appear that it can. When the canopy opens up because of leaf drop or a thin canopy the upper sides of the limbs can "burn". Frequently this may cause interference with the water transport to the leaves. But if at least half of the limb is unaffected, the tree should survive.

Drought

Even bottle trees can suffer from a lack of water. Watering every day can still result in drought IF the amount of water applied does not meet its need for water.

A usual sign that a tree is not getting enough water is a thinning of  its canopy. Bottle trees can also drop leaves in midsummer,as reported by some homeowners in Phoenix. A bit unsettling when you don't know what the leaf drop means.

Drainage

Bottle trees do well in lawns if the soil drains water well. 

Young bottle tree growing in a lawn