PlantFiles: Orchid Tree
Bauhinia monandra

Orchid Tree Bauhinia monandra is Naturalized in Texas and other States.

I have not grown this tree. Other common names for this plant are Napoleon's plume, pink orchid tree, butterfly flower and poor man's orchid. It is a shrub or small tree, native of Asia (Burma), that has been planted and has escaped or naturalized itself throughout the West Indies from Cuba and Jamaica to Barbados and Trinidad. It has been planted as an ornamental in Puerto Rico, but can be found naturalized in thickets, along roadsides as well as river banks in the coastal, limestone and lower mountain regions. After being cultivated in southern Florida and deep south Texas, it is a naturalized plant in these states as well. The species name 'monandra' refers to the fact that only a single stamen produces pollen, which distinguishes this species from other similar members of the genus.

Pink orchid tree can attain a height of 20 feet and has a spreading habit. The 4 to 6 inches across leaves are cleft almost to the middle which gives them the shape of a hoof print. In April through July, the blooms appear in terminal racemes. The blooms, which look like orchids, start out a pale yellow, but turn to pink the next day and the center petal is streaked with magenta. The seed are enclosed in pea-like pods which are between 6 inches and 1 foot long. Although not usually necessary, they can be pruned after flowering. Pink orchid trees sometimes suffer from chlorosis and may be treated with iron chelate.