Phanera purpurea seed
LATIN NAME: PHANERA PURPUREA
COMMON NAME: Purple Orchid Tree, Purple Bauhinia, Camel’s Foot
The purple orchid tree is one of the most spectacular flowering trees of the tropics, its large, fragrant, orchid-like blooms in shades of rose-purple and pink covering the branches through the warm season and into autumn. The leaves are distinctive and instantly recognisable — two-lobed and shaped like a butterfly’s wings or a camel’s footprint, giving the tree its common names of butterfly tree and camel’s foot. It grows as a small to medium-sized, semi-evergreen tree with a broad, spreading crown, reaching ten metres in favourable conditions, and after the flowers come long, flat, brown pods containing several hard seeds. Native to the Indian subcontinent and Myanmar, it has been widely planted across the tropical and subtropical world as a street tree and garden ornamental, where its long flowering season and tolerance of heat and poor soil make it a favourite. It thrives in full sun and well-drained soil in frost-free climates.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The purple orchid tree has a substantial record in horticulture, natural-product chemistry and botany. Horticulturists study its cultivation, its long flowering season and its use as a street and landscape tree in warm cities, and breeders have developed cultivars with different flower colours and forms. The bark, leaves and flowers contain a range of compounds that have been investigated in natural-product chemistry, and the tree has a history of traditional use in its native range, drawing research into its constituents and potential applications. Botanists study its taxonomy — the species was formerly placed in Bauhinia and is now classified in Phanera — and its relationships within the large and diverse legume family. Ecologists examine its role as a nectar source for bees, butterflies and sunbirds, and its potential invasiveness in some regions. For a tree of such beauty and such wide planting, the purple orchid tree has a rich and practical body of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ecologically, the purple orchid tree is a generous tree of the warm world. Its large, fragrant flowers feed bees, butterflies and sunbirds through the long blooming season, and its broad, spreading crown gives shade and shelter for birds and small animals. The leaves and pods are browsed by livestock in some regions. Economically, it is one of the most beloved street and garden trees of the tropics and subtropics, planted for its spectacular flowers, its butterfly-shaped leaves and its tolerance of urban conditions, and it has a solid place in the nursery trade. The wood is used for small items and fuel, and parts of the plant have traditional uses. For a grower in a warm, frost-free climate, it is a rewarding and spectacular tree, and for a gardener it brings a cloud of orchid-like bloom to the garden. The hard seeds need scarification — nick the coat or pour just-boiled water over them and soak before sowing.
To grow the Purple Orchid Tree from seed, to grow the purple orchid tree, nick the hard seed coat or pour just-boiled water over the seeds and soak them, then sow them in moist, free-draining compost in a warm, sheltered position.
nick the hard seed coat or pour just-boiled water over the seeds and soak them, then sow them in moist, free-draining compost in a warm, sheltered position, and keep the young orchid trees in a warm, sheltered position.
LATIN NAME: Bauhinia purpurea
COMMON NAME: Orchid Tree, Purple Bauhinia, Camels Foot, Butterfly Tree
The orchid tree is one of the most beautiful of the flowering trees of the tropics, and its large, fragrant, orchid-like blooms of rose-purple have made it a beloved tree of the streets and the gardens of the warm world. It grows as a small to medium-sized, semi-evergreen tree of the legume family, reaching up to ten metres, with a broad, spreading crown of two-lobed, butterfly-shaped, green leaves and, through the warm season and the autumn, the many large, showy, fragrant flowers, with their five broad, crinkled petals in shades of rose-purple, pink or white, borne in the clusters, followed by the flat, brown, woody pods of several hard seeds. It is a species of the legume family, native to the Indian subcontinent and Myanmar, and it is widely introduced elsewhere in the tropical and the subtropical areas of the world, while it is known as the orchid tree, the purple bauhinia, the camels foot, the butterfly tree or the Hawaiian orchid tree.
The orchid tree belongs to the legume family, Fabaceae, and it is a species of flowering plant, native to the Indian subcontinent and Myanmar, and widely introduced elsewhere in the tropical and the subtropical areas of the world. It is known as the orchid tree, the purple bauhinia, the camels foot, the butterfly tree or the Hawaiian orchid tree, and it is prized for its large, orchid-like, fragrant blooms.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The orchid tree has a genuine and distinguished place in both horticultural and chemical research. It has been studied in horticulture, since it is one of the most beautiful of the flowering trees of the tropics, prized for its orchid-like blooms, and researchers have examined its cultivation, its growth and its value in the streets and the gardens, while its long season of bloom and its tolerance of the warm conditions have made it a beloved tree of the warm cities, and its spectacular, orchid-like flowers have drawn attention in the international horticultural press as a treasure of the tropical garden. The tree has also been studied in the chemistry of the natural products, since the bark, the leaves and the flowers contain a range of the compounds, and researchers have examined their content and their potential uses, while the traditional uses of the tree in the region have been examined, and the chemistry of the bauhinias has been of continuing interest. The species has also been studied in botany, since it is a member of the legume family, and its classification and its relationships have been examined, while the study of the butterfly trees and their many species has been of continuing interest. For a tree of such beauty and such interest, the orchid tree has a rich and distinguished record of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ecologically, the orchid tree is a generous tree of the warm world. Its large, fragrant blooms feed the bees, the butterflies and the hummingbirds, and its butterfly-shaped leaves and its leafy crown give shelter, while it is a beloved presence in the streets, the parks and the gardens of the tropics.
Its economic value is real. It is one of the most beloved of the street trees of the warm cities, prized for its orchid-like blooms, and its beauty has drawn attention in the international horticultural press as a treasure of the tropical garden, while the tree is also used in the traditional medicine of the region and in the landscaping of the warm world. For a grower, the orchid tree is a rewarding and generous tree, and for a gardener in a warm, frost-free region it brings butterfly-shaped leaves and a cloud of orchid-like bloom. The seeds have a hard coat, and the surest way is to nick the coat with a small file or to pour just-boiled water over them and leave them to soak for a day before sowing them in moist, free-draining compost in a warm, sunny spot, and theyll be on their way within a couple of weeks, growing on into a beautiful, orchid-flowered tree.
Phanera purpurea is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to South China and Southeast Asia. Common names include orchid tree, Hong Kong orchid tree, purple bauhinia, camels foot, butterfly tree, and Hawaiian orchid tree. Orchid tree growing tree of the genus Phanera also known as Phanera variegate or Bauhinia variegata, Orchid tree perennial deciduous used as ornamental fragrant plant also can use as bonsai, can grow in subtropics, tropics or mediterranean climate. Leaves color green in a shape of two oval leaves that connected together. Flower fragrant color purple or white with five petals the size 5-10 cm, the flowers attracts pollinators like hummingbirds and sunbirds.