Hello just bought a dwarf blue orchid tree

rhawes

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does anyone know anything about them and the best care for them would be apprecieated
 

Boscology

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An orchid tree hmm.

Is it an orchid with old growth like a stalk or trunk or is it some other flowering plant?

Only similar plant that comes to mind is the magic bonsai seeds on ebay that supposedly grow a bonsai species no-one has ever seen before.
 

LittleDingus

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One of these?

 

LittleDingus

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More likely one of these:

 

LittleDingus

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Bauhinia has got nothing to do with orchids.
...and possumhaw has nothing to do with possums ;) Common names often reflect an impression...bauhinia have flowers that resemble orchids (though it you've seen a real orchid...not really). Common names often tend to be regional as well. Best to stick with scientific names whenever possible.

And anyway, that was just my guess based on googling the name in the thread title :) More info from the OP is needed to positively id...
 

Bnana

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Sure, apparently this name is used for this species. But I do not see any resemblance. Guess "orchid tree" sells well.
If OP does mean Bauhinia grandidieri than there will be people her that can help him.
 

LittleDingus

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Sure, apparently this name is used for this species. But I do not see any resemblance. Guess "orchid tree" sells well.
If OP does mean Bauhinia grandidieri than there will be people her that can help him.
I wonder if the common name has more to do with orchid the color that orchid the flower?? Orchid the color is generally thought of...at least here in the US...as somewhere between pink and blue...usually closer to pink. But I can see the species flower's color being referred to as "orchid". The dwarf blue cultivar may have just carried over the common name even though it's too blue to be orchid the color.

Anyway...enough of my bullshit! We need a picture or more information from the OP to confirm/refute...
 

Boscology

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Yes I see it now, it looks like it could be an interesting tropical and if you got it from Wigerts its probably a decent value.

Cheers!
 

Mikecheck123

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yes I boughtt it from wigerts and the scientific name is Bauhinia grandidieri
Wigerts's is awesome. You should be emailing them for care tips, not us!

That thing looks pretty cool, btw. Might have to impulse buy myself!
 

Bnana

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Orchid trees are absolutely a thing. Look it up.
There are apparently trees that are called orchid trees but trivial names are local and can refer to a lot of different species. But these are not orchids. Orchids are plants of the family Orchidaceae, none of these is woody.
Orchids that are trees? absolutely not a thing. Look it up!
 

Mikecheck123

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There are apparently trees that are called orchid trees but trivial names are local and can refer to a lot of different species. But these are not orchids. Orchids are plants of the family Orchidaceae, none of these is woody.
Orchids that are trees? absolutely not a thing. Look it up!
If your point is that an orchid is not the same as an orchid tree, we are in agreement.

If you're trying to say that it's some weirdly obscure thing that no one would ever say, we don't agree. It's extremely popular in California, for example.
 

Bnana

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I wrote that there are no orchids that are trees and that a scientific name is helpful.
Maybe it means Bauhinia in California but some Magnolias and Monodoras are also called Orchid tree (none of which has anything to do with actual orchids).
So orchid tree is not a helpful name outside of the local context.
 

Mikecheck123

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So orchid tree is not a helpful name outside of the local context.
If there is ambiguity in a name, or you don't know what someone is talking about, it's probably best not to make sweeping statements then. Such as "There are a lot of orchid species but none of them is a tree."
 

Bnana

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"There are a lot of orchid species but none of them is a tree." is a valid statement.
Can you give me an example of an orchid species that is a tree?
 

Mikecheck123

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"There are a lot of orchid species but none of them is a tree." is a valid statement.
Can you give me an example of an orchid species that is a tree?
I'm not here to get into arguments. I'm glad you learned something, though.
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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Common names are confusing, as they are inconsistent across regions, and often do not translate across languages. The botanical names are as close as we can get to being specific, unique and universally understood. Botanical names are in "botanical Latin" which is a blend of 3 century AD "vulgate Latin", with vocabulary from classical Greek, and adjectives from modern languages, such as French, English, Russian, and German. Occasional Chinese words slip in too. All words are given word endings as if they were Latin words. Each botanical name is linked to a type specimen, a physical specimen, with its description, deposited at a public herbarium. All use of the botanical name assumes one can verify an identification by going to this type specimen and comparing the plant in question with the type specimen. It was the best system anyone could think of (Carolus Linnaeus) at the time (1700's). Nobody has come up with a better system.

So to bring it to the specific matter at hand, the OP is discussing Bauhinia grandidieri, which can be called by a number of vague and misleading common names. Most of the common names for trees in this genus are variations of "orchid tree" or "mountain ebony", though either way, the genus Bauhinia is not at all related to any true orchid, nor is it at all related to any of the true ebony species, which are in genus Diospyros. Interesting factoid, The genus Bauhinia is in the Fabaceae, the pea and bean family. The most closely related genus native to North America is Cercis, the "redbuds", and it is more distantly related to the genus Dahlbergia, the tropical rosewoods. So the properties that gave Bauhinia the common name of mountain ebony may come from the fact that its wood has some of the properties that Bauhinia shares with the distantly related rosewoods, genus Dahlberia. Both genera have hardwood that is very attractive for cabinet & furniture making.

You realize @Bnana - from now on if you post anything without using the botanical name, I'll be dogging you for it. LOL I'm teasing, but I always try to use the botanical name at least once in a conversation, and I try to be tolerant of people who do not use the botanical name, because botanical names are a foreign language to almost everyone. They are the "insiders code" and can make those not familiar feel like an outsider. But I do believe if one knows the botanical name, they should use it at least once in a thread, to make sure all the members, whether they are locals or not, native English speakers or not are clear on which species is being discussed.

@rhawes - This is an excellent choice for indoor for winter, outdoor for summer "tropical bonsai". Bauhinia grandidieri is one of the best of the genus Bauhinia to use for bonsai. Most Bauhinia have leaves over 4 inches, sometimes of 6 inches long and nearly equally wide. B. grandidieri has nice small leaves, usually around 1 inch or less. It grows best with full sun, or in the brightest part of an under lights set up. The Bauhinia flowers on new growth, or current years growth. They start flowering as growth extends in spring and can flower pretty much all year. If you prune back too frequently, you will not get flowers. When you want flowers, let the branches grow out. This is a common growth pattern across a number of different genera of flowering trees including Bougainvillea.
 
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