Bauhania is a genus of tropical plants or small trees, easily grown from seed and can be trained in containers inside if offered adequate light and heat. Seeds of two of the three species of Bauhinia (shown above, Love Tree, White Bauhinia and Yellow Orchid Tree) are offered at this time by the GreenDealer Exotic Seeds selection of trees, rainforest plants and tropical houseplants.

Bauhinia is a genus of tropical trees, shrubs and some vines (Bauhinia galpinii) which belong to the Fabaceae or Bean Family. The Bauhinias are tropical plants. Some of the species grown in India have commercial use of the bark in tanning and in dying. The leaves and flower buds are edible and are used there as vegetables. It is a very decorative small tree for landscaping in climate zones 9 through 11. In colder regions it is grown in containers and brought indoors during the winter months.

Bauhinia galpinii (not offered from the GreenDealer at this time) is a vining shrub with orange flowers and is drought tolerant.

Bauhinia monandra (Pink Orchid Tree, Jerusalem Date, Butterfly Flower,) has pinkish flowers and is native to South America.

Bauhinia alba (White Orchid Tree, Love Tree) has romantic myth attached to it that the tree can bestow love upon the beholder. In may parts of the tropical world, people believe the emerald-green leaves and white orchid-like flowers herald a very happy marriage.

Bauhinia purpurea (Purple Orchid Tree) has purple or (sometimes - white) flowers.

Bauhinia variegata (Orchid Tree, Mountain-ebony) from Asia, is very similar to B. purpurea and has lavendar flowers. All of the species above are easily grown from seed. There is a hybrid, of which the last two species listed above, are parents:

Bauhinia x blakeana (Hong Kong Orchid) has deep purple flowers. It does not set seed because it is a mixture of the B. variegata and the B. purpurea species, and as a hybrid, can only be propagated by air layering or grafting.

Bauhinia tomentosa (Yellow Orchid Tree) has yellow flowers and delicate trunk and branches growing to about 12 ft.

The specimen shown above were photographed at various locations in central Costa Rica, in June of 1999. The two Pink Bauhinia photographs in the last row were taken outside one of the hotels, where I was a guest, in San José. Because the tree was right outside my hotel window, I had the pleasure of watching the leaves fold up for the evening. It was beginning to rain and as the rain increased the leaves folded up even tighter. This curious habit of the leaves allows water to pass through the foliage to saturate the ground underneath. The leaves also fold in response to the setting sun, then open up again as the sun rises each moring.

Winter hardy in the tropical zones 9 - 11.