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White Orchid Tree (Bauhinia aculeata)


_Keith

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One of the few Bauhinia aculeata reliably cold hardy in Zone 9a. Always a treat when it comes into bloom in mid summer.

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Keith,

You sure that's not B. forficata? The flower and leaves look a little different than my B. aculeata. Nice plant none the less. Just planted forficata in my yard to go with B. aculeata, bartlettii, gilesi, lunaroides, and macranthera. I really like their tropical look.

Cheers!

Clay

South Padre Island, Zone 10b until the next vortex.

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Keith, I can’t say what variety it is, but it must be a hardy one…there lots of different varieties that are hardy to 9a.

Huston, TX has a lot of them. ( if you can’t fine any locally.) Nice flower!

Edited by Palm crazy
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Also wondering if it might be B. forficata. Looking close at the picture, I can see some spines along some of the stems/branches. Don't think B. aculeata has spines but could be wrong.

Regardless, a great species, especially in 8b/9a areas. Might try B. hookeri if you can find it Keith. Thinking it also tolerates 9a cold.

-Nathan



Edited by Silas_Sancona
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  • 4 years later...

My blooming Bauhinia variegata var. candida this morning. It's quite frost-hardy, fast growing and the flowers have a nice, light scent. When they're mature the seed pods twist open with a loud snap. A small tree that can handle zone 9 well. 

Bauhinia2020.png

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  • 2 weeks later...

My Bauhinia variegata is blooming well right now, but its semi-deciduous look is quite messy after winter. I prefer my B. variegata 'Candida' for both its blooms and appearance, at least where I live. I'm going to test my B. blakeana in the ground next. Behind it in the first image are two different Brachychiton species leafing out, just after their massive leaf drop this spring. :wacko:

Bauhinia_variegata1.png

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Bauhinia_vari3.png

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On 4/28/2020 at 3:11 AM, Hillizard said:

 

 

Bauhinia2020.png

Ooooh been looking for this for the longest time. We have a number of Bauhinia growing as municiple plantings,  a few of them in utterly inacesible places, only seen from the highway. Completely decidous they come out with the leafless branches covered in these white flowers that go on and on and on for at last a monh or two. I'm almost sure it's this one.  My all time favorite Bauhinia.  Just wish I could get closer for some seed or a cutting. They don't flower the same time as the others, much later in the dry season so the seed wont hybrid, unless they already are of course.....it's not variagated, though hmmmm or is that just in the name. The others, pinks and reddish ones all flower with the leaves in the rainy, they are only semi-evergreen, nothing as specatacular as this one, though. 

Edited by Cedric
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Cerdic

Non omnis moriar (Horace)

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On 5/6/2020 at 7:24 PM, Cedric said:

Ooooh been looking for this for the longest time. We have a number of Bauhinia growing as municiple plantings,  a few of them in utterly inacesible places, only seen from the highway. Completely decidous they come out with the leafless branches covered in these white flowers that go on and on and on for at last a monh or two. I'm almost sure it's this one.  My all time favorite Bauhinia.  Just wish I could get closer for some seed or a cutting. They don't flower the same time as the others, much later in the dry season so the seed wont hybrid, unless they already are of course.....it's not variagated, though hmmmm or is that just in the name. The others, pinks and reddish ones all flower with the leaves in the rainy, they are only semi-evergreen, nothing as specatacular as this one, though. 

Yes, mine has been flowering for almost a month now. I raised it from seed and it grew very fast. The local hummingbirds spend a good portion of each day fighting over the flowers! Sorry the picture isn't in sharper focus but these flowers were 15 feet or so above the ground! :)

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21 minutes ago, Hillizard said:

Yes, mine has been flowering for almost a month now. I raised it from seed and it grew very fast. The local hummingbirds spend a good portion of each day fighting over the flowers! Sorry the picture isn't in sharper focus but these flowers were 15 feet or so above the ground! :)

  Have a neighbor around the corner who keeps their white and pink B. variegata trimmed back a bit, roughly to a height of 12ft.. Just finished flowering, but look 10x's nicer than some others left to grow bigger around town..  Seems like they flower better also..

Edited by Silas_Sancona
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15 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

  Have a neighbor around the corner who keeps their white and pink B. variegata trimmed back a bit, roughly to a height of 12ft.. Just finished flowering, but look 10x's nicer than some others left to grow bigger around town..  Seems like they flower better also..

I agree Nathan! More branching means more flower buds the next year. After mine finishes flowering I plan to cut it back so it forms a bushier tree (pruning will also eliminate many of this year's seed pods!).

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6 minutes ago, Hillizard said:

I agree Nathan! More branching means more flower buds the next year. After mine finishes flowering I plan to cut it back so it forms a bushier tree (pruning will also eliminate many of this year's seed pods!).

True, plus you can enjoy the flowers a bit closer to eye level.. Did notice their trees are loaded w/ pods though..  Btw, hows the Pseudobombax doing? Awake yet?

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36 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

True, plus you can enjoy the flowers a bit closer to eye level.. Did notice their trees are loaded w/ pods though..  Btw, hows the Pseudobombax doing? Awake yet?

Plus, the Bauhinia flowers have a nice, light scent if you stick your nose in them. Arizona is usu. a few weeks "ahead" of NorCal in terms of flowering/seed pod forming! I repotted my Pseudobombax but it's not doing much right now. Its apical bud is beginning to swell though. Fingers crossed! Most of my other subtropicals are just now breaking dormancy.  This coming heat wave should help!

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On 5/6/2020 at 7:24 PM, Cedric said:

Ooooh been looking for this for the longest time. We have a number of Bauhinia growing as municiple plantings,  a few of them in utterly inacesible places, only seen from the highway. Completely decidous they come out with the leafless branches covered in these white flowers that go on and on and on for at last a monh or two. I'm almost sure it's this one.  My all time favorite Bauhinia.  Just wish I could get closer for some seed or a cutting. They don't flower the same time as the others, much later in the dry season so the seed wont hybrid, unless they already are of course.....it's not variagated, though hmmmm or is that just in the name. The others, pinks and reddish ones all flower with the leaves in the rainy, they are only semi-evergreen, nothing as specatacular as this one, though. 

I just noticed that RPS has a new batch of these in stock, if you're interested: https://www.rarepalmseeds.com/bauhinia-variegata-var-candida

They grow very quickly from seed.

 

 

 

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I have nothing but respect for nature videographers who can capture images of fast-moving subjects. I tried multiple times with this hummer (who even came up close to me to see what I was doing) but this short video clip was the best I could do while s/he was sipping supper this evening. These Bauhinia in bloom really attract hummingbirds, at least in my neighborhood where their nectar is probably considered an uncommon treat. :winkie:

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On 5/15/2020 at 11:59 AM, Hillizard said:

I have nothing but respect for nature videographers who can capture images of fast-moving subjects. I tried multiple times with this hummer (who even came up close to me to see what I was doing) but this short video clip was the best I could do while s/he was sipping supper this evening. These Bauhinia in bloom really attract hummingbirds, at least in my neighborhood where their nectar is probably considered an uncommon treat. :winkie:

Love that! We have tiny old world Sun-birds, which I'm sure do the same. They get a bit lazy at times and hold onto the flower making a hole in the corolla of the petal. This way they can get nectar from anything. The chicks are unbeliebably cute and playfull and will often come and play in the fine water spray when your're watering. Yah never got that phone at hand :wacko:

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Cerdic

Non omnis moriar (Horace)

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5 minutes ago, Cedric said:

Love that! We have tiny old world Sun-birds, which I'm sure do the same. They get a bit lazy at times and hold onto the flower making a hole in the corolla of the petal. This way they can get nectar from anything. The chicks are unbeliebably cute and playfull and will often come and play in the fine water spray when your're watering. Yah never got that phone at hand :wacko:

I wish some of the Sunbirds, particularly some native to South Africa were native to this side of the world.. Hummingbirds are great of course, but some of the sunbirds present an incredible array of coloration. Hummingbirds can also get used to humans and hang around, darting about when watering in the garden. 

An interesting side note, in parts of California, a couple species of new world warblers have figured out how to pollinate Birds of Paradise ( Strelitzia ) taking the place of  birds that fill the same ecological role in South Africa.  

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Here's an interesting Bauhinia, B retusa, which was growing at the now defunct Xotx-tropico nursery in West Hollywood.  Flower photo is from the web.  Flowers are intricate but not showy, however apparently the seed pods are huge, woody and purple.   Would love to try this one as the foliage was very impressive and vigorous.

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San Fernando Valley, California

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22 minutes ago, Peter said:

Here's an interesting Bauhinia, B retusa, which was growing at the now defunct Xotx-tropico nursery in West Hollywood.  Flower photo is from the web.  Flowers are intricate but not showy, however apparently the seed pods are huge, woody and purple.   Would love to try this one as the foliage was very impressive and vigorous.

IMG_2719.JPG

IMG_2720.jpg

b3e4ffcbf9e429c78e4597d13e868e81.jpg

^ on my list also..    So i guess Xotx did go out of business / change direction?  bummer. :( I think he was successfully growing Bauhinia monandra as well.. Also on my list, lol.

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6 hours ago, Peter said:

Here's an interesting Bauhinia, B retusa, which was growing at the now defunct Xotx-tropico nursery in West Hollywood.  Flower photo is from the web.  Flowers are intricate but not showy, however apparently the seed pods are huge, woody and purple.   Would love to try this one as the foliage was very impressive and vigorous.

 

I have a B. retusa in the ground at my place, but it's not as impressive as that one in WeHo! I grew mine from seed and it hasn't bloomed yet. Right now its new leaves are coming out. It drops most of them each winter, but handles summer heat and sun well. At this stage it's more of a multi-stemmed shrub than a tree, at least for me. This species is also known as B. semla and is currently available at RPS: https://www.rarepalmseeds.com/bauhinia-semla?search=bauhinia

Bauhinia_retusa1.png

Bauhinia_retusa2.png

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  • 1 month later...

I just happened to see this thread and was shocked to see from the above post that Leon might have gone out of business...I've been a customer of his for over thirty years now and it would be a big loss to me, and I think to many of us plant-nuts, if that were the case, as he has always grown the rarest of the rare, and a trip to his crowded aisles of plants is always a treat. HOWEVER, looking a little more deeply into the matter, it turns out that he has just moved operations from the nursery's longtime home on Fairfax. Turns out his website is still up, and his Instagram says:

Xotx-Tropico

Just moved to 1528 S Robertson south of Pico between Cashio and Pickford where we will continue our tradition of fantastic plants!
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Michael Norell

Rancho Mirage, California | 33°44' N 116°25' W | 287 ft | z10a | avg Jan 43/70F | Jul 78/108F avg | Weather Station KCARANCH310

previously Big Pine Key, Florida | 24°40' N 81°21' W | 4.5 ft. | z12a | Calcareous substrate | avg annual min. approx 52F | avg Jan 65/75F | Jul 83/90 | extreme min approx 41F

previously Natchez, Mississippi | 31°33' N 91°24' W | 220 ft.| z9a | Downtown/river-adjacent | Loess substrate | avg annual min. 23F | Jan 43/61F | Jul 73/93F | extreme min 2.5F (1899); previously Los Angeles, California (multiple locations)

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18 minutes ago, mnorell said:

I just happened to see this thread and was shocked to see from the above post that Leon might have gone out of business...I've been a customer of his for over thirty years now and it would be a big loss to me, and I think to many of us plant-nuts, if that were the case, as he has always grown the rarest of the rare, and a trip to his crowded aisles of plants is always a treat. HOWEVER, looking a little more deeply into the matter, it turns out that he has just moved operations from the nursery's longtime home on Fairfax. Turns out his website is still up, and his Instagram says:

Xotx-Tropico

Just moved to 1528 S Robertson south of Pico between Cashio and Pickford where we will continue our tradition of fantastic plants!
 

:greenthumb: Good to know.. I'd check their FB page so often and noticed there hadn't been any updates in quite some time..  Has been on my list of places i'd wanted to purchase plants from for some time..

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7 hours ago, mnorell said:

I just happened to see this thread and was shocked to see from the above post that Leon might have gone out of business...I've been a customer of his for over thirty years now and it would be a big loss to me, and I think to many of us plant-nuts, if that were the case, as he has always grown the rarest of the rare, and a trip to his crowded aisles of plants is always a treat. HOWEVER, looking a little more deeply into the matter, it turns out that he has just moved operations from the nursery's longtime home on Fairfax. Turns out his website is still up, and his Instagram says:

Xotx-Tropico

Just moved to 1528 S Robertson south of Pico between Cashio and Pickford where we will continue our tradition of fantastic plants!
 

A plant person could spend hours looking over all the photos he's posted online here: https://www.xotxtropico.com/instagram

 

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