Weeds of Australia - Fact Sheet

Top Scientific Name Synonyms Family Common Names Origin Naturalised Distribution Notes

Scientific Name

Bauhinia variegata L.

Synonyms

Bauhinia variegata L. 'Candida'
Bauhinia variegata L. var. candida Voigt
Bauhinia variegata L. var. variegata

Family

Caesalpiniaceae (Queensland, the ACT, Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia and the Northern Territory)
Fabaceae: sub-family Caesalpinioideae (New South Wales)
Leguminosae (South Australia)

Common Names

bauhinia, butterfly ash, butterfly tree, camel's foot, camel's foot tree, mountain ebony, orchid tree, orchidtree, poor man's orchid, pink orchid tree, purple orchid tree, variegated orchid tree, variegated orchid-tree, white bauhinia, white camel's foot, white variegated orchid tree

Origin

Native to southern China, the Indian Sub-continent (i.e. Bhutan, India, Nepal and Pakistan) and south-eastern Asia (i.e. Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and north-western Thailand).

Naturalised Distribution

Naturalised in some parts of south-eastern and northern Queensland.

Also naturalised overseas in southern USA (i.e. Claifornia, Texas, Louisiana and Florida), the Caribbean, South Africa, and on some Pacific islands (e.g. New Caledonia and Western Samoa).

Notes

This species is regarded as an environmental weed, or potential environmental weed, on a local level in some parts of south-eastern (e.g. Redland Shire and Caboolture Shire) and northern (i.e. Thuringowa City) Queensland. It is widely cultivated in urban areas in northern and eastern Australia, particularly as a street tree, and readily escapes cultivation into waterways in Brisbane.

Note: a white-flowered form of this species, sometimes known as either Bauhinia variegata var. candida or Bauhinia variegata 'Candida', is present amongst cultivated and naturalised individuals in Australia.