SAFLAX - Yellow Orchid Tree - 30 seeds - Bauhinia tomentosa

Worth knowing:

For a type of one of the many various species of orchid trees, the yellow-flowering ornamental bush is a rather rare sight. Its lovely leaves are cut in at the mid rib and create the appearance of butterfly wings or the shape of a camels foot, which gives the genus the English name of Camel Foot Tree. The five petals of the wonderful aromatic flowers are lemon-coloured and the small dark-purple spot in the middle lets the bees find their way. The Yellow Orchid Tree grows as casual branched small bush and is perfectly suited for tub cultivation.

Natural Location:

The tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and Asia are the natural habitat of the Yellow Orchid Tree.

Cultivation:

Seed propagation indoors is possible throughout the year. To increase the germinability, you should place the seeds for about 24 hours in a bowl with lukewarm water for priming. After that, gently press the seeds onto moist potting compost, put just a little compost earth on top and cover the seed container with clear film to prevent the earth from drying out. Don’t forget to make some holes in the clear film and take it every second or third day completely off for about 2 hours. That way you avoid mold formation on your potting compost. Place the seed container somewhere bright and warm with a temperature between 20° and 25° Celsius and keep the earth moist, but not wet. After two to four weeks, the first seedlings will come up.

Place:

The Yellow Orchid Tree prefers full sunny and warm places. During summer it is ideally kept outdoors in a wind-protected spot near a heat-preserving wall.

Care:

Especially during summer, you need to water your plant regularly, but avoid waterlogging. From April until September it is advisable to give fluid fertilizer for tub plants every two weeks. With a proper climbing aid you may also cultivate the Yellow Orchid Tree as a climbing plant. Pruning is only necessary with strongly growing plants and can best be done after blossoming in summer. Cutting the tree back in late winter might hinder the next flowering.

During the winter:

Since its tropical origins the Yellow Orchid Tree is not frost-hardy. For hibernation it is best be kept in a bright place with a temperature of 12° to 18° Celsius. However, the tree casts the leaves annually, but only at the end of winter and sometimes even as late as spring. During this time you may water accordingly modest.

Picture credits:

- © © J.M.Garg - GFDL - http://www.gnu.org/licenses/fdl - © Frank Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright - © Frank Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright - © Ton Rulkens - CC-BY-SA-2.0 - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0 - © - - - © - - - © - - - © - - - © - -