Bauhinia trees — commonly called orchid trees for their flowers or butterfly trees for their leaves They belong to a genus of more than 300 species of flowering plants including trees, vines and shrubs that are frequently planted for their showy flowers and ornamental foliage. A member of the Fabaceae or legume family, the Bauhinia is native to areas including China, India, the Philippines and Australia. Today, the orchid tree is one of the most popular flowering trees for warm-weather climates. It blends well into almost any landscape and can provide welcome shade during the summer. The orchid tree grows at a fast rate up to 20 to 30 feet in height, has light grey fairly smooth bark and develops an attractive umbrella-shaped canopy filled with twin-lobed, butterfly-shaped, grey-green leaves. Although it likes regular watering, it should not be overwatered. Each year, the orchid tree blossoms with showy masses of large, sweetly scented, 5-inch-wide purple, pink, magenta, delicately resembling an orchid. Flowers are followed by slender brown flat seedpods that ripen after the flowering season has passed. The tree starts flowering when it is about two or three years old. Beauty and shade are not all this tree offers. Many parts of the orchid tree have medicinal uses, oils are extracted from the seeds, leaves and bark are used for tanning and dyeing, the timber is excellent and the young seedpods, leaves and buds are a treat as vegetables Bauhinia is easily propagated from seed. First, you can scarify the seeds, but this is not a must. Best to soak them for 24 to 48 hours in water. Sow them 1-2 cm deep in sandy well drained potting soil, placed in a warm position water regularly dont keep then soaking wet.

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