Bauhinia (Cherry_Chow)
Updated on 14/04/2020


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Description


Location

CUHK, collected by Yiuman.

Comments

This photo shows the flowers of Bauhinia sp., which belongs to Caesalpiniaceae (蘇木科). The flower is zygomorphic, which means it has one plane of symmetry. The inflorescence is raceme. Each flower has a calyx consisted of 5 fused sepals. Its corolla consists of 5 petals. One of the petals contains nectar guide for insects. It has 5 stamens and 1 pistil. The stamens are aligned between the petals. The ovary is superior.

One interesting fact is the Bauhinia species that represent Hong Kong (洋紫荊) is actually a sterile plant. It can only be propagated by horticultural practices e.g. grafting and rooting of cuttings. Its scientific name is Bauhinia X blakeana, referring to the fact that it is a hybrid of Bauhinia purpurea (紅花羊蹄甲) and Bauhinia variegata (宮粉羊蹄甲).

Since the two species mentioned above are both exotic species in HK, I would like to know how/when/where did the hybridization happen.

Reference: https://zolimacitymag.com/how-did-the-bauhinia-a-sterile-flower-become-the-symbol-of-hong-kong/
by YIP_WingYan (Student) at 2020-04-28 23:31:37


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petal , sepal , pileus , pistil , suspensor , stipe , epidermis , ovule , Labellum , stamen