Queensland State Archives posted a photo:
When this tree is in bloom it’s a real showstopper. It’s the Hong Kong Orchid Tree and from February to November it’s a mass of colour. Bauhinias grow wild in tropical and subtropical regions of the world and this particular variety was found in China. Bauhinia x blakeana is though to be a chance hybrid between Bauhinia purpurea and B.variegata and it is the official floral emblem of Hong Kong.
Grow Bauhinia in the garden for its flowers alone. From a distance the tree is a mass of colour. Up close, the flowers, which are quite large, resemble orchids or butterflies and they range in colour from yellow through pink to deep purple. The flowers are also perfumed. On most Bauhinias the flowers are followed by long, flat legume like seed pods, which can stay on the plant for months and look a bit untidy, but