Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have what I think is a Hong Kong Orchid Tree/bush type thing. Does anyone know if this is safe for tortoises if they eat it?

Hong Kong orchid trees grow all over the place here in south Florida. They are in the genus Bauhinia and there are a number of species that can be found. I have read that they are fed to cattle in India but I have been afraid to feed the leaves to my tortoises without some input. The flowers would probably be attractive to many tortoises as well but............
are they ok??

Yes, I am in St Pete Florida. My thought was not neccesarily to feed them to my torts, but to build an enclosure around it. It would make a nice shade tree and nice place to hide. In case they ate it, I just wanted to make sure.

Thanks

Oh I see.
But still, if they were ok for them to feed on it would be a good source of fodder too.
BTW, all species of Bauhinia suffer from manganese/magnesium and iron deficiency in our soils. They often need to be fertilized well.

Krim5, Hi I do not frequent this area on King Snake. I am unusually over on the Indigo, King Snake area of the forms.
You have posed a question I can answer for you. Your orchid flowers are safe for consumption. I have grown orchid for many years, many different kinds. Many orchids are prized by many cultures and eaten by humans. I have studied orchids and found that house cats and dogs may eat the flowers but find the leaves distasteful. You can find more by running a search on orchids on the net. Note: I have eaten several of my orchid flowers in salads, as do many other Cultures around the word. Note 2: the leaves of most orchid taste very strong. The orchid is the old living plants on this earth and with care can be handed down from generation to generation. I like turtles but prefer my Drymarchons. Have a good Day…….Dann