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Bauhinia variegata L.
Synonym : Phanera variegata L.
Sub family
: Caesalpinioideae
Local Names
: Chuvanna mantharam,
Mountain ebony
Flowering and fruiting period: September – May
Distribution: Possibly native of China; wild
in the sub Himalayan and India
Habitat: Cultivated as ornamental plant
IUCN status: Least Concern
Endemic: No
Uses: Ornamental, fruits edible, young
leaves edible, firewood, timber yielding and anti-helminthic.
Key Characters: Bauhinia variegata have dark brown bark. Leaf lamina is broader
than long, with a medium cleft. Inflorescence is a pubescent raceme. Calyx
tomentose, 5 toothed at the apex. Petals 5, with long rather broad claw, 4
petals pale purple and fifth darker with purple veins. Stamens 5, fertile, no
staminodes. Ovary hairy; style long, stigma capitates. Fruit is a 10-15 seeded
dehiscent pod.
