Texas Gardening: Texas Native Plant Pictures ( Trees ), 1 by htop

htop wrote:
Orchid Tree, Red Bauhinia, Nasturtium Bauhinia, African Plume, Pride of De Kaap (Bauhinia galpinii), Caesalpiniaceae Family, naturalized, evergreen to deciduous, large vine-likreshrub, small tree, blooms mid-summer through mid-fall

This tree with a vine-like growth habit is real traffic stopper in late summer and fall when it produces beautiful blooms which are a reddish-orange color that is defficult to describe. It can easily be trained into an attractive small tree or large shrub. In its native habitat (South Africa), the long fbranches are frequently used by the local people for weaving baskets and for the construction of roof trusses for their huts. Although, I have read it will not live in Zone 8b, I found one growing near downtoen San Antonio. I have stopped many times this fall to see the beautiful blooms. Until it is about 3 years old, it must be protected from freezes. It is not suitable for a small garden. Prune in early spring.

The flowers ...