Anacacho Orchid Tree

Bauhinia lunarioides

Hills guide picknative · Hill Countrysold locally

Anacacho Orchid Tree is a small tree native to the Texas Hill Country that grows 6–12 ft tall and 6–12 ft wide. It wants full sun or part shade and low water, and handles caliche soil. Blooms white and pink in Mar–May. Good for bees, birds, butterflies, hummingbirds and nectar insects.

Will it grow in your yard?

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From our guide

Village of the Hills

Delicate multi-trunk small tree with split butterfly-shaped leaves and clouds of white orchid-like flowers in spring.

Why it works here

A Texas endemic from the Anacacho Mountains — small enough for a courtyard, tough enough for caliche, and unlike anything else in the palette.

Watch out

Cold can burn it in a severe winter. Wants excellent drainage and a warm wall in the colder parts of the Hill Country.

The facts

8 sources

Type: Small tree
Sun: Full sun to part shade (3+ hrs)
Water: Low
Height: 6–12 ft
Spread: 6–12 ft
Bloom: Mar–May · white, pink
Foliage: Deciduous
Soil: Takes caliche · recorded on dry, limestone, loam, sand, well drained
Deer: Moderate — deer may browse it, especially new growth. Some browsing on new growth in dry years.
Wildlife: Supports bees, birds, butterflies, hummingbirds and nectar insects

Size, sun, water and foliage from the Village of the Hills guide; the rest resolved across sources.

Where it grows

Recorded in this EPA Level IV ecoregion in the Austin and Hill Country launch area:

Balcones Canyonlands

34 occurrence records in Central Texas (GBIF).

Can you buy it?

Sold at local nurseries. Confirmed in stock at a Central Texas grower in these sizes:

5, 10, 15 gallon

From the growers we read so far — a short list, not the whole trade. Call ahead.

also grows from seed It starts readily from seed, so a packet from a native-seed supplier, or seed collected with permission, is often the easiest way to get a plant no nursery pots.