Life Span
Biennial
Biennial
Type
Tree
Perennial
Origin
South-Eastern Asia, Southeastern Asia, China
-
Types
Purple Orchid Tree, White Orchid Tree, Bidi leaf tree
Abbotswood potentilla, Daydawn potentilla, Klondike potentilla
Number of Varieties
2025
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Forests, Mountain Slopes, Valley
Clay soil areas, Rocky areas, Wet ground
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-133-8
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-9
10-1
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 9, 10, 11, 13, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23
A1, A2, A3, H1, H2, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Upright/Erect
-
Plant Size
Minimum Height
760.00 cm91.44 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
17.80 cm91.44 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Light Pink, Magenta, Violet
Orange, Yellow
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Green, Sandy Brown
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Gray Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Gray Green
-
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Gray Green, Yellow green
-
Leaf Color in Winter
Green, Gray Green, Yellow green
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Butterfly shaped
Small elliptic
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer
Early Fall, Spring
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial shade, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
-
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
Well drained
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Slightly Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
-
Bloom Time
Early Spring, Spring
Late Summer, Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Budding, Grafting, Seedlings
Stem Planting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Keep the ground moist but not water-logged, Water Deeply
Average Water Needs, Needs watering once a week, Water less during winter, Water more in summer, Water when soil is dry
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
-
Soil Type
Clay, Loam, Sand
-
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
-
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove branches, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Prune if you want to improve plant shape, Prune in early spring, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Apply N-P-K
Apply 10-10-10 amount
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
Flower Petal Number
Single
-
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Medium
-
Foliage Sheen
Matte
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
Sometimes
-
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds
Bees, Butterflies
Allergy
-
Avoid during Pregnancy
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Showy Purposes, Used for decorating walls, fences, gates, hedges, etc.
Beauty Benefits
-
Good for skin, Skin cleanser, Skin Problems
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Nesting sites for birds, Shadow Tree
Air purification, Prevent Soil Erosion, Provides ground cover, soil erosion prevension on hill slopes
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Carminative, Laxative
Antibiotic, Astringent, Diarrhea, Haemostatic, Hypoglycaemic, Mildly painful menstruation, Odontalgic, Premenstrual syndrome, Swelling
Part of Plant Used
Buds, Flowers, Leaves, Root, Seeds, Stem
Flowers, Root
Other Uses
Fibre, Gum, Used as a dye
Cosmetics, Showy Purposes, Used as a dye
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Shade Trees, Street Trees, Tropical
-
Botanical Name
BAUHINIA purpurea
POTENTILLA
Common Name
Butterfly Tree, Orchid Tree
Potentilla
In Hindi
Butterfly tree
Potentilla plant
In German
Schmetterlings- Baum
Potentilla Pflanze
In French
arbre de papillon
plante Potentilla
In Spanish
árbol de la mariposa
planta Potentilla
In Greek
δέντρο πεταλούδα
φυτό potentilla
In Portuguese
árvore borboleta
planta Potentilla
In Polish
drzewo Butterfly
Potentilla roślin
In Latin
Gloria ligno
Potentilla herba
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Vascular plant
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Fabales
Rosales
Family
Fabaceae
Rosaceae
Genus
Bauhinia
Potentilla
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
Cercideae
-
Subfamily
Caesalpinioideae
Rosoideae
Number of Species
500300
1
27800
👆🏻