| Life form | Shrub, tree, liana |
| Family | Fabaceae |
| Origin | Southeast Asia, Africa, China, India, South America. Some species found in Australia. |
| Ease of cultivation | Easy with small difficulties. |
| The size | Bauhinia reaches in nature 6 m in height, in room conditions up to 1 m or more. |
| Growth rate | Average growth rates. |
| Lifespan | Perennial. |
| Temperature | In summer, the plant needs a very warm content, otherwise problems with flowering may occur. In winter, the bauhinium must be kept at a temperature of 53,6-59 ° F. Adult plants, after they have fallen leaves, can even withstand frosts to 23 ° F for a short time. |
| Humidity | Spraying is not required. |
| Lighting | It should be placed in a brightly lit place, in the spring to the direct sun plant accustomed gradually to avoid burns. The southern window in the summer requires shading. In excessive light, leaves may fade. In poor lighting, the plant blooms less often. |
| The soil | A ready-made weakly acidic or neutral ground of general purpose, a rich air-and water-permeable soil with the addition of a small amount of sand is suitable. Requires powerful drainage. Bauhinia is not very demanding on the soil. For own preparation, for example, you can take: 1 part sheet, 1 part turf and 1 part humus earth, 1/2 part coarse sand or perlite. Always use a pot with a hole. |
| Watering | Requires abundant watering in the summer, but the plant is sufficiently drought-resistant, the surface layer of the soil should dry slightly between waterings. Excess moisture is harmful to the plant. In winter, watering is limited, moistening the soil only after the soil dries hard. |
| Fertilizer | In the spring, the plant is fertilized with nitrogen fertilizers, and during flowering in summer – fertilizers with a predominance of potassium and phosphorus. |
| Reproduction | Seeds in the spring. Seeding seeds can be harvested independently from the pods. However, one can not use unripe seeds, they will not germinate. As the maturing seeds fall out from the opening pods and can germinate. To prevent self-sowing, it is better to attach to the pods rags, in which the seeds will fall after ripening and opening the pod. Pre-soaked in 2 days large and flat swollen seeds to sow in a mixture of peat and perlite, deepening no more than 5 mm. To accelerate germination, you can remove a small corner of the seed coat on the long top with the help of nail clippers. The earth is sprinkled only slightly. The container should be covered with polyethylene, placed in a warm place under indirect light or fluorescent lamps. The package must be periodically removed for ventilation. Fresh seeds germinate fast enough. Most species bloom within 1-2 years from the moment of sowing. You can germinate the seeds directly in the dish on a damp napkin. In this case, the seeds must be checked daily. Germination lasts from 3 days to 6 weeks, at one end of the seed will appear a small sprout. With the growth of the seedlings should be formed, their tops removed at the height of 25-30 cm. Some species Bauhinia have a tendency to self-branching and does not need to be pruned. The plant also reproduces in spring semi-mature stalk cuttings, which remain after pruning. They need to be processed with corn root, germinated in vermiculite, covered with a plastic bag. However, the cuttings do not take root very well and for a long time. |
| Bloom | Depending on the species, the color of the flowers differs. In B. schitkovidnoy they are of lavender color, in b. Pointed – white, in b.wolf – in yellow, in b.purpur – pink-red.For the beauty of flowers, bauhinia is called an orchid tree, although this plant has nothing to do with orchids. In the place of flowers (sometimes, when flowering still continues) pods forming up to 10-25 cm long are formed, self-seeding is possible. |
| Transfer | Transplant young plants every spring, increasing the size of the pot. With age, transplanted every 3-4 years, you can change only the surface layer of the soil. |
| Features of care | In summer it is desirable to regularly ventilate the plant or take out on the street or balcony. From the cold and autumn, the leaves may fall off the plant, but with good care, the number of fallen leaves is small. The plant should be cut off regularly. The plant can be formed in the form of a stamping tree (for example B.purpurnum). For this, the bauhinia are plucked at a height of 40-50 cm. The sharpened bows are used in bonsai culture. It is necessary to remove wilted flowers in time. |
| Difficulties | It is affected by red spider mites and scabs. Yellowing of the leaves while keeping the green color in the veins is a sign of excessive watering. Fading leaves indicates excessive light.Twisting of leaves can be a sign of a lack of calcium, in this case, the plant needs additional fertilizing. |
| Air cleaning | – |
| Toxicity | The plant is poisonous. |
