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Products > Bauhinia galpinii   Bauhinia galpinii - Red Orchid Bush     [2nd Image] Habit and Cultural Information Category: Shrub Family: Caesalpiniaceae (~Fabales) Origin: South Africa (Africa) Evergreen: Yes Flower Color: Orange Red Bloomtime: Summer/Fall Synonyms: [Bauhinia punctata] Height: 8-10 feet Width: 10-15 feet Exposure: Full Sun Irrigation (H2O Info): Medium Water Needs Winter Hardiness: 20-25° F Bauhinia galpinii (Red Orchid Bush) - A semi-deciduous, sprawling, wide-spreading shrub to 10 feet tall by 15 feet wide with deeply-lobed heart-shaped dark green leaves and bright brick-red or salmon-colored blooms appearing in the late summer through early winter. At maturity it can possibly spread up to 25 feet wide, easily kept smaller. Hardy to about 20-25 degrees F. This bauhinia tends to become deciduous in the early spring - it declines as most of the garden begins to perk up. It should be totally re-foliated by mid-summer. Makes a good espalier subject. This plant comes from the savannas of South Africa, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe. One area where it is known from in northeastern South Africa is called the De Kaap valley and for this reason it has been called Pride of De Kaap, which has been missinterpeted as meaning the plant comes from the Cape province, since Kaap also means "Cape" in Afrikaans but this plant does not naturally grow in the Cape province. The name was given to this genus by Linnaeus to honor the twin brothers Johann and Gaspard Bauhin, who were 16th century Swiss scientists - Johann was a botanist and Gaspard a botanist and physician. Using the name of these identical twin is fitting as Bauhina leaves are composed of two identical lobes. The specific epithet is named for Ernest Edward Galpin, a South African botanist and banker who collected extensively in his native land.  The information about Bauhinia galpinii displayed on this page is based on research conducted in our nursery library and from online sources we consider reliable. We will also relate those observations made of this plant as it grows in our nursery gardens and in other gardens that we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has additional information, particularly when they share cultural information that would aid others in growing it.