I think I've smelled bauhinia monandra once, and I don't remember any fragrance -- you could try bauhinia acuminata, or lunarioides, a Texas native -- both are small, good growers, and fragrant, but they're both white flowered.

Alternatively, plant a purpurata (I was just down in the Miami area and they were all in bloom!) and cut it way back after flowering to keep it small; bauhinias can stand heavy pruning and will branch out more as a result, they're even used as large-scale bonsai.

[The nursery down in Florida, banned on GardenWeb, whose initials are TT (sorta like the artist formerly known as Prince) has a couple of articles about bauhinias that are worth checking out)

Also, bauhinia corymbosa is a vining bauhinia that's supposed to be fragrant; mine's too small to flower, but I'll report back this summer.

I think pinching the seedpods, particularly on a young tree, is a good idea, but I don't know how much it would prolong flowering; most bauhinias seem to be pretty seasonal.

Good luck!

Jim

Hi Jim --

Thanks for all the info; I had never heard of the lunarioides variety you mentioned but I will look out for it. Many, many years ago I grew an acuminata which bloomed wonderfully full, white flowers but I can't remember whether it had a fragrance or not. I hope you'll post the results of your b. corymbosa when it blooms; sounds great!

Thanks again for the detailed reply,

Jack