Tso Kung Tam Outdoor Recreation Centre – Eco-trail

 

Spot 14 – Hong Kong Orchid Tree and Camel’s Foot Tree

Introduction

Recently, Hong Kong Orchid Tree has been proven to be the hybrid of Purple Camel’s Foot (Bauhinia purpurea) and Camel’s Foot Tree (Bauhinia variegata). Therefore, the scientific name of Hong Kong Orchid Tree has been redefined as Bauhinia x blakeana.

There are 3 commonly seen Camel’s Foot Tree: Purple Camel’s Foot (Bauhinia purpurea), Camel’s Foot Tree (Bauhinia variegata) and White Bauhinia (Bauhinia variegata var. candida). They are always mixed with the Hong Kong Orchid Tree in cultivation and distinguishing them becomes a challenge. The following are the differences between the 4 plants:

	Hong Kong Orchid Tree	Purple Camel’s Foot	Camel’s Foot Tree	White Bauhinia
Colour of petals	Reddish purple	Reddish	Violet	White
Shape of petals	Intermediate	Long and narrow	Short and broad	Short and broad
Number of filamens	5	3	5	5
Fruit	Absent	Present	Present	Present

 

Photos

Hong Kong Orchid Tree
White Bauhinia	Purple Camel’s Foot
Camel’s Foot Tree	Fruits of Camel’s Foot Tree

Information and photos are provided by Ho Koon Nature Education cum Astronomical Centre

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