Arboretum History Virtual Tour - PURPLE ORCHID TREE

Bauhinia variegata var. candida       |        Fabaceae       |       purple orchid tree

Historical Context:

In the 1970s, environmental consciousness increased. As the constraints of urban development became obvious, there was an increased effort to evaluate plant selection and sustainable landscape management practices. Dr. Warren Jones, Professor of Landscape Architecture, made this goal his life’s work bringing seedlings from around the world to Tucson to test their fitness on the UA campus. As a result, almost 200 new taxa were introduced over his 30 year career. Some of his contributions shown here include the Bauhinia variegata on the SW corner – full of white “orchid looking” flowers in spring and the Sandpaper tree (Ehretia anacua).

Next Stop ⇒ Thornless Honey Locust

Previous Stop ⇒ California Fan Palm

Return to Arboretum History Tour Page

Additional Resources to Explore:

• Link to the Campus Arboretum Species Description page
• Link to the Campus Arboretum History Tour page (for booklet, self-guided campus tours, or docent led tour information)