Mystery orchid tree is showing it's colors...

[gixrj18]

Well, last year my grandmother gave me some seedlings from some orchid trees that her, and my late grandfather grew. Two of the pots contained two seedlings each, and another had a single seedling. I gave one of the double pots to my mom, and I planted the other double one in my front yard....the single one is still in a pot in my backyard. My grandmother said that the double ones were two different colors growing side by side (she was almost positive), but she wasn't sure which were which. Well, mine got a little frost damage on the leaves last month, but is coming back strong with a full canopy of buds. The tree is only about 4' tall, and about 4' in diameter. I say "tree" because the two that I planted (side by side), have been tightly wrapped together since day one. Now that the trunk is about 3"-4" in diameter, it looks like a corkscrew....the one tree is actually two trees twisted (and grown) together. Yesterday, the first few flowers showed their colors....or should I say lack thereof. To my surprise....it's an alba! Now I'm anxiously waiting for a bud on the other limb to open, so I can see what my other color is. This tree will grow as big as 30'-40' tall, and the canopy gets completely full of flowers.....which aren't really orchids, but look a lot like them. Eventually, all the nooks, crannies, corkscrews, and twists will have real orchids growing in them, this was the reason for them. I have flasked plenty of seeds, so I'm sure this tree will end up full of them.
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[Zoi2]

WOW those blooms are pretty, I can't wait to see the tree when you've got all your orchids mounted on it!
One of the biggest drawbacks of living in the midwest, no really cool flowering trees in the yard
Joann

[SP2340]

Very pretty, thanks!

[ronaldhanko]

I believe its botanical name is bauhinia and it is the national flower of Hong Kong.

[gixrj18]

Originally Posted by ronaldhanko

I believe its botanical name is bauhinia and it is the national flower of Hong Kong.

I believe you are correct!

[orchideric]

It is Bauhinia, a legume. The purple form is called the Hong Kong Orchid Tree here in Florida and they are in full flower at the moment.

It is named for its equally 2-lobed leaf after two brothers in Switzerland who were equaly good botanists.

Eric

[gixrj18]

This one is just reaching maturity....so it's lagging behind the mature ones around here.

[gixrj18]

Well, it finally decided to show it's other color. The other day, it opened uo it's first purple flower.....so it's a purple one and an alba, twisted together. I not only twisted the trunk together as it grew, but all the branches are twisted together also. The trunk has already started to mold together in a big twisted knot. I planted a bunch of baby Dendrobiums on it the other day....they fit perfectly in the creases! Here's both flower pics, and the Dendrobs. are purple.
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[cb977]

That is SO beautiful!

I wonder if they would grow here

I really only have full sun where any tree would go...is that good or bad? What kind of watering does it take?

I can't wait to see yours when it's in full ORCHID bloom!

[gixrj18]

Originally Posted by cb977

That is SO beautiful!

I wonder if they would grow here

I really only have full sun where any tree would go...is that good or bad? What kind of watering does it take?

I can't wait to see yours when it's in full ORCHID bloom!

Mine gets full sun for about three quarters of the day. It gets watered by the sprinkler system a couple times a week. I'll have plenty of seeds soon, you are welcome to try some out, Susanne. But it gets big, like 30-40 ft. tall....so be prepared. They're beautiful when they get big....every inch of the whole canopy gets covered in flowers. So two colors might get interesting!