Hong Kong Orchid Tree The Hong Kong Orchid tree is in the bean family and if it ever did produce fruit, they would look like flattened, long, brown bean pods. The tree can grow to 40 feet tall but is usually seen around the 15- to 20-foot size. The hybrid was described in 1908 after being discovered in 1880 on an island in Hong Kong. In 1965 it was adopted as the emblem of Hong Kong and even appears on coins and the regional flag. The tree has a fairly loose branching structure on a concrete-gray trunk. The long branches can be a bit lanky. There can be flowers on the tree most of the time but the main flowering season is during the winter months of December to February. The flowers are large and pink to light purple and are sweetly fragrant. They are borne at the ends of the branches and along new branches. Most branch tips will have many flowers and buds. The leaves are typical of Bauhinia species. They have the outline of a camel’s footprint with two lobes with smooth edges and veins radiating from the base of the leaf. The leaves are dark green and large and range from 4 to 8 inches in diameter. The Hong Kong orchid tree is considered a medium-sized tree and is commonly used as a street and shade tree. It can sometimes lose some of its leaves, which gives it an unkempt appearance, but it holds most of its leaves most of the year if kept moist. The Hong Kong orchid tree prefers to grow in full sun with moist, well-drained soil, but established plants can tolerate some drought. They can also tolerate some shade and wind. The legend follows. The Tree That Stole an Orchid’s Flowers There once was a tree that didn’t like its flowers. It was extremely jealous of an orchid. People would stop and admire the flowers of the orchid but just walk by the tree without even a second glance. One night the envious tree reached out and ripped off all the orchid’s flowers in a rage. The tree placed the flowers all over its own branches and the next morning people stopped and admired them with delight. But eventually shame overtook the tree, and it dropped all its beautiful, new flowers. Pride prevents the tree from giving the flowers back, but as a punishment it isn’t allowed to have any children. The thieving orchid tree never has produced a seedpod on its own. Note: Center Street in Wahiawa is lined with this tree.
Posted on: Wed, 26 Nov 2014 02:46:33 +0000
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