Arizona Landscaping Plants And Flowers
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Trees

Orchid Tree, Bauhinia variegata

Orchid Tree, Bauhinia variegata; Photo January 26, 2006

Orchid Tree, Bauhinia variegata	Orchid Tree, Bauhinia variegata

Orchid Tree Bauhinia variegata Fabaceae Family ( Pea ) Orchid Tree. Also called: Purple Orchid Tree, Mountain Ebony, Poor Man's Orchid, Napoleon's Hat, Vlinderbloem, Butterfly Flower. A fast growing deciduous tree to semi-evergreen tree, to 40 feet tall. It has grey - green 2-lobed heart shaped large leaves, with 11 to 13 veins. It is blooming during late winter or early spring. The flowers often make their first appearance in late winter while the tree is bare of leaves. Its spreading crown is made of briefly deciduous leaves which are 4 - 6 inches across with rounded, lobed ends, and heart shaped bases. The leaves are shaped a little like a cow's hoof. Some cultivars have leaves with white variegations. The flowers look like orchids, with five irregular, usually slightly overlapping petals in shades of magenta, lavender or purplish blue. Their blooming period lasts until early summer. The flowers are 3 - 5 inches across in clusters at the branch tips. Later on it produces flattened brown woody pods up to 12 inches long. There are more than 200 species in the genus Bauhinia. Orchid trees do best in acidic soil. Susceptible to iron chlorosis. Considered invasive in Florida. Height: 20 To 40 feet tall. Has a 20 - 30 foot spread. In Phoenix, the trees usually are small. Bark: Grayish - brown, thin, smooth. Trunk: 3 to 8 inches in diameter. Twigs: Break easily. Flowers: 3/16" long; yellow or orange; very fragrant; including many tiny stamens clustered in stalked balls 1/2" in diameter; mainly in late winter and early spring. Blooming Time: Early January - March or April and intermittently through summer. Leaves: Green deciduous leaves which are 4 - 6 inches across with rounded, lobed ends, and heart shaped bases. The cleft leaves resembe an animal hoof. Seeds: Seedpods 12" long, 1/2" - 1" wide; brown; maturing in summer, bursting open; many elliptical flattened shiny brown; seeds. Found: Statewide. Low elevations. Elevation: Below 2,000 Feet. Habitat: Ornamental in lower elevations or Arizona. Introduced from Northern India, Viet Nam and Southeastern China. Miscellaneous: Flowering Photos Taken January 26, 2006 in North Central Phoenix.