Brisbane tree guide

Firewheel tree

Stenocarpus sinuatus · also called Fire tree

The firewheel tree is a South East Queensland rainforest native named for its flower clusters, which radiate like the spokes of a red and gold wheel. In gardens it usually stays about 10 metres tall and 5 metres wide, with glossy leaves that may be plain or deeply lobed. It flowers from summer into early winter, though trees grown from seed can take seven years or more to start.

Native to South East Queensland
10 m tall
Flowers December to June

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A firewheel tree in Queensland — Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Casliber assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

Firewheel tree at a glance

Height: 10 m (up to 35 m in the wild)
Leaves: Evergreen
Flowers: Red, December to June
Origin: Rainforests from the Nambucca River area of northern NSW up to north Queensland
Family: Proteaceae

How to identify a firewheel tree

In flower, the firewheel tree is hard to mistake. Groups of 12 to 20 tubular red flowers, each 2.5 to 4 cm long with a yellow tip, fan out from the end of a stalk like the spokes of a wheel, often on the twigs behind the leaves. The leaves are glossy dark green above and paler below, 15 to 25 cm long, and range from narrow and smooth-edged to broad with deep, irregular lobes. Grey-brown, finely hairy seed pods 5 to 10 cm long follow. The bark is grey to brown and often wrinkled.

Firewheel tree flowers up close — Photo: Steve Fitzgerald, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Growing a firewheel tree in Brisbane

The firewheel tree is a true local: botanist Allan Cunningham recorded it beside the Brisbane River in 1828. It does best in rich, loamy, well-drained soil in sun or part shade, but it tolerates most soils and handles light frost. In rainforest it can reach 30 metres or more, yet garden trees usually stay near 10 metres tall and 5 metres wide, which fits a medium-sized yard. It will grow in drier spots if it gets extra water.

Pruning and care

Firewheel trees need little pruning. Remove dead or damaged branches, and lightly shape young trees so they keep a single main stem. Mulch well and water through dry spells, as this rainforest tree likes rich, moist soil. Be patient with flowering: trees grown from cuttings of a mature flowering tree usually bloom in three to four years, while seedlings can take seven years or more. Any large limbs are a job for a qualified arborist.

Firewheel tree: your questions

Short answers, from the sources below.

Back to the tree guide

When does the firewheel tree flower in Brisbane?

ClimateWatch records the firewheel tree flowering from December to June, so from summer into early winter. ANPSA describes summer to autumn flowering, and PlantNET gives autumn to winter for New South Wales.

How tall does a firewheel tree grow?

In gardens it usually reaches about 10 metres tall and 5 metres wide. In its rainforest home it can grow to about 35 metres.

Why isn't my firewheel tree flowering?

It may simply be too young. Trees grown from seed can take seven years or more to flower, while those grown from cuttings of a flowering tree usually start within three to four years.

Is the firewheel tree native to Brisbane?

Yes. It grows naturally in rainforests from north-eastern New South Wales to north Queensland, and Allan Cunningham recorded it beside the Brisbane River in 1828.

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Sources and credits

Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Casliber assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.

Second photo: Steve Fitzgerald, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Checked October 2026. Weed listings and council rules change: check the council's and the Queensland Government's pages before you act.