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Fabaceae
Red Bauhinia
Bauhinia galpinii
Bold tropical flourish.
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Genus
- Bauhinia
- Native to
- southern Africa, eastern Africa
- Bloom season
- Summer, Autumn
- Type
- sprawling shrub or scrambler
- Height
- 200–400 cm
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- well-drained, sandy to loamy
- Water
- low to medium; drought-tolerant
- Hardiness
- 9–11
- Lifespan
- long-lived perennial shrub
Did you know
- The genus Bauhinia is named after the Bauhin brothers, 16th-century Swiss botanists, symbolized by the two-lobed leaves.
- Unlike the common orchid tree, red bauhinia is a scrambling shrub that can be trained as a climber.
- The brick-red flowers resemble orchids, earning the entire genus the common name 'orchid tree'.
- Its butterfly-shaped leaves fold closed at night, a behavior called nyctinasty.
- It is one of the few bauhinias that tolerates light frost, surviving temperatures down to about -3°C briefly.
Color meanings
Red
striking confidence