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Bauhania x blakeana,
Hong Kong Orchid Tree

Hong Kong Orchid Tree grows in full sun on well-drained soil. Trees are very drought-tolerant and actually flower best on dry soils. Problems include a tendency to show nutritional deficiencies, especially potassium; and the litter problem created by the falling leaves and flowers.

Some people object to the debris which always seems to be falling from other Orchid Trees including bark, twigs, and flowers. However, unlike other orchid trees this one produces no fruit making it more suitable for planting in urban landscapes. It makes a beautiful specimen planted in parks or on large properties. It can be planted in medians, in parking lot islands and in other tough urban sites.

This plant is often grown as a multi-trunk tree, but weak, included bark often develops where stems join and where some main branches join with trunk. Though this usually is fine on trees not capable of growing to a large size, it could lead to the stems or branches splitting from the tree in storms. Trees trained with a short, dominant trunk may last longer. Orchid Tree requires regular pruning to develop good structure.