Bauhinia

Genus: Bauhinia
Common Name: Butterfly shrub
Family: Caesalpinaceae
Appearance: Trees, woody shrubs, climbers and groundcovers, deep green lobed leaves which usually close at night time.
Flowers: Pink, orange, red flowers for long periods in spring and summer.
Features: Good plants for landscape use and low maintenance gardens. Some may carry thorns.
Requirements: Moist fertile soils referred. Will handle occasional dry periods. Known to grow well on impoverished soil. Tolerant of a wide range of variables in light, wind, etc.

Culture: Pruning will improve shape and flowering. Growth and flowering improved with regular watering and fertiliser.

Pest & Disease: Grasshoppers and spider mites have been observed but most relatively pest and disease free.

Species & Varieties:

About 300 species, including:

B. acuminata -To 3m tall, white flowers.

B. Galpinii (syn. B. punctata) (Red Bauhinia) -Extremely tough landscaping shrub 1 to 4m tall, with orange to brick red flowers over a number of months.

B. polycarpa -Upright shrub to 4m tall, greenish yellow flowers in clusters to 12 cm long.

B. tomentosa (Yellow Bauhinia) -Erect plant to 5m, with lobed orbicular leaves to 6cm long, and bright yellow to white flowers with a brown or red blotch at the base of the upper petal. The cultivar 'Picta' has pale yellow almost white flowers.

Want to Learn More?

Check out publications in the ACS Bookshop: http://www.acsbookshop.com/

For more information on Courses on Horticulture and Plants:

In Australia: www.acs.edu.au/Courses/horti.aspx

In the UK: www.acsedu.co.uk/Courses/horti.aspx

Tropical Plants Course: http://www.hortcourses.com/courses/tropical-plants-bht234-404.aspx