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Bauhinia petersiana
Also called White Bauhinia
Bauhinia petersiana is a small, scrambling shrub or tree from dry woodland and savanna in southern and East Africa, grown for its white orchid-like flowers. It is hardy to frost and needs good drainage and a sunny spot.
Bauhinia petersiana, the Kalahari white bauhinia, is a species of shrubs in the family Fabaceae and the subfamily Cercidoideae found in Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The species is 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) in height. The flower is up to 15 cm (5.9 in) wide, with five narrow white petals.
In East Africa, the plant grows at altitudes of 150–1,850 metres (490–6,070 ft), while in South Africa it can be found in dry places, such as the Kalahari Desert at the altitudes around 350 metres (1,150 ft). The plant can withstand frost.
Dwarf White Bauhinia · Cow's-foot · African plume · Napoleon's plume · Butterfly-tree · Bidi Leaf Tree · St. Thomas tree · Mountain ebony · Hong Kong Orchidtree · Orchid Trees
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Bauhinia petersiana by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
