Bauhinia blakeana
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Bauhinia blakeana | ||||||||||||||||
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The bauhinia blakeana, sometimes called Hong Kong orchid tree is a tree of the genus bauhinia.
The bauhinia blakeana is usually sterile. It is evergreen with large thick leaves and striking purplish red flowers. Whether it is a true species or an hybrid between (probably) bauhinia variegata and bauhinia purpurea is still a matter of debate.
History
Bauhinia blakeana was first found in Hong Kong. It was discovered on the shore of Hong Kong Island near Pokfulam around 1880. The first scientific description of the Hong Kong orchid tree was published in 1908, by S.T. Dunn, superintendent of the Botanical and Forestry Department. Dunn assigned it to the Bauhinia genus, and named it after Sir Henry Blake who was Hong Kong governor from 1897 to 1903 and had a strong interest in botany.
Usage as an emblem
Its flower was adopted as the emblem of Hong Kong in 1965, and since 1997 it is the representative flower for the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong, People's Republic of China, and appears on its flag and its coins.
The flower is also the city flower of Chiayi City, in southwestern Taiwan.