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Napoleon's plume

Bauhinia monandra

Photo by Latimeria
Published on Project Noah
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9.74892, -83.7534

Field Notes

Description:

White flowers with red spots, the middle petal is yellow and covered almost entirely with red spots.

Habitat:

Tropical rain forest

Notes:

Not actually an orchid, but a tree in the legume family (Fabaceae). They're called orchid trees due to the similarity of the flowers. It's a perennial native to Burma. It has been naturalized in Texas and Florida, and the species name "monandra" (mono=one, andra=andros=man's house) refers to the fact that only one stamen produces pollen, distinguishing this species from other in its genus.

Species ID Suggestions

Orchid Tree

Bauhinia sp.

Comments (2)

Thanks for the correction! I would have never guessed, how fascinating.
Dear Latimeria, This a Fabaceae (Leguminous) from the genus Bauhinia. They call them Orchid trees because the flower resembles an orchid flower.

Spotted for Missions

Photographed
PublishedMarch 17, 2011

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