Sampler of South American Flora

This tree is extremely drought tolerant and survives the extremes of the Gran Chaco. It's not surprising that Brachychiton populneus (Sterculia diversifolia), with a flask-shaped trunk, is called the Bottle Tree. Paraguayans call it palo borracho, or drunken tree, since the trunk stores water in dry weather. In a region where temperatures can remain around 110 F for months, and the wind scours the land, the tree can grow up to 75 feet, and as an evergreen, it is drought tolerant and can survive the temperature extremes of the Gran Chaco, South America's last frontier land.