It turns out that beans can be beautiful too - bauhinia, orchid tree

Tell me, do we have bauhinia, an orchid tree? The daughter was sent on a business trip abroad. From there she sent a photograph of her standing next to such a tree, the branches of which are strewn with large flowers. I asked her to find out the name, began to look in our stores, but so far the search has not been crowned with success. I'll call and ask her to bring me the seeds. But I don’t know if this tree will be cold in our climate. Or can it be grown in a pot?

Its large, elegant flowers are indeed very similar to orchids, but the plant has nothing more to do with this family. This is a very rare guest in our climate, both in the home and in the garden collection - bauhinia, an orchid tree. It got its second name precisely for flowering. But not only large-flowered and beautiful, but as long-lasting as in orchids. But the character of this culture is much more agreeable. Its main disadvantage can be considered increased requirements for temperature content. It is they who limit the area of ​​growing a tree. The rest of the bauhinia is quite adequate. Knowing what she likes, you too can get yourself a blooming beauty.

Bauhinia - orchid tree native to legumes

Bauhinia belongs to the legume family, which confirms the shape of its fruits, long pods with beans inside. But the appearance of the plant itself can be different. In nature, most often there are tall trees up to 10 m in height, but there are also shrubs and even lianas. Under natural conditions, Bauhinia grows mainly in tropical humid climates. It can also be found in the savannah, among the swamps or in the highlands. This once again confirms the high adaptability of culture and survival.

Bauhinia has two characteristic features, regardless of its type:

1. Original leaves up to 12 cm long. Their shape resembles a round heart or a half of an apple, and the central vein divides the leaf into two parts. And when night falls, the bauhinia folds and closes the leaves like bashful mimosa.
2. Gorgeous bloom that occurs in mid-spring and lasts up to 5 months. Large flowers in shape, like orchids, have a diameter of up to 15 cm. They have a variety of colors, some species even have a pattern. Each flower lives for a maximum of a week, but a new bud opens up to replace it.

It is interesting that the tree closes the leaves not only at night, but also when it is very hot.

How to grow bauhinia and is it possible

In our latitudes, the orchid tree does not survive in the open field. Bauhinia can withstand a short-term drop in temperature to minus 5 ° C. However, she cannot live constantly in such stressful conditions. Moreover, the minimum temperature for wood is plus 12 ° C. But not constant, but only during the rest period. If you keep bauhinia all year round at such rates, it will not bloom.

Most often, the thermophilic tropicana is grown as a houseplant. Why not, because this way you can completely control the growing conditions. As for the size, indoor orchid trees do not grow above 1.5 m. In addition, their height can be easily adjusted by cutting.

Set aside a bright place for room bauhinia. Its daylight hours must be at least 10 hours, otherwise there will be no buds.If possible, take care of high humidity. Water the tree frequently, but abundantly. During the growing season, feed with a mineral complex for flowering plants. In summer, the pot can be taken outside, but if the temperature drops below plus 15 °, the tree must be taken into the house. In winter, it begins a dormant period, and at this time it is better to keep the tree cool, at 12-15 ° C warm, so that it will lay flower buds. Beginning at the age of three, begin to form the crown of a tree or bush by pinching the tops of the shoots.

How to grow bauhinia from seeds