Anacacho Orchid
Bauhinia lunarioides
Family: Fabaceae
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: orchid tree
CHARACTERISTICS
Small, semi-deciduous, flowering tree, 12’h, 10’w. Small, delicate white five-petaled flowers are produced from late spring to early summer. They can flower again in response to a good monsoon. Legume bean pods follow the flowers. Some populations are pink instead of white.
LANDSCAPE USE
This is a small ornamental tree. Its small size makes it a good screen, and patio tree.
GROWING CONDITIONS
AN EXPLANAITION OF TERMS USED
SUN full to part sun
WATER moderate to low, will be slower growing with low water
SOIL good drainage preferred, some amendment
HARDINESS hardy to 10°F
BASIN middle
CONTAINER does ok in a container
NUTRITION moderate to low
MAINTENANCE very little
Photo of Bauhinia luniarioides by Mountain States Wholesale Nursery
ECOLOGY
Flowers are attractive to bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Larval host for the Long-tailed skipper (Urbanus proteus) and Gold-spotted Aguna (Aguna asander)
ETHNOBOTANY
Not much is known about human uses for this species besides ornamental uses.
NATURAL DISTRIBUTION
Native to canyons & arroyos in limestone hills in Texas and northeastern Mexico.
TAXONOMY AND NAME
Formerly known as Bauhinia congesta.
This species is in the Fabaceae, the legume family. There are 352 recognized species in Bauhinia with a pantropical distribution. The genus is named after Swiss herbalists, John and Caspar (1560-1624) Bauhin. The species name, luniarioides means moon-like, probably referring to the foliage.
Mature plant, photo by Jessy Alanis Leal ʚïɞ, iNaturalist
Flower detail photo by Carlos G Velazco-Macias, iNaturalist
Leaf detail photo by Curren Frasch, iNaturalist
Some populations are pink-flowered instead of white, photo by John Karges, iNaturalist