Hong Kong Orchid Tree (Bauhinia Blakeana)

Bauhinia x blakeana Dunn 1908, commonly called Hong Kong Orchid Tree is a natural hybrid between Bauhinia variegata and Bauhinia purpurea.

As many hybrids the Bauhinia Blakeana is sterile, which means the plant doesn´t produce seed, it has to be propagated by cuttings and air-layering. The Hong Kong Orchid Tree has been found about the year 1880. In 1914 Hong Kong Botanic Gardens started to cultivate the Bauhinia Blakeana and all the cultivated plants derive from one cultivated there. Nowadays Hong Kong Orchid Trees are found in many tropical countries. The Bauhinia Blakeana has been named by S.T. Dunn, Superintendent of the Botanical and Forestry Department in honour to Sir Henry Blake, the British Governor of Hong Kong, from 1898 to 1903, who was also a amateur botanist. Bauhinia Blakeana flowers are highly fragrant and reach a size of about 10 – 15 cm, the evergreen tree grows to a heights of about 6 – 10 meters. Flowering period: November – March

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Image: Hong Kong Orchid Tree (Bauhinia Blakeana)
Photographer: Kitisak “Nat” Jaidee