Bauhinia purpurea L.

Habit

Shrub or tree

Family Description

Trees, shrubs or herbs, sometimes twinging or climbing. Leaves althernate, sometimes simple but usually with few to many leaflets arranged trifoliately, pinnately, bipinnately or digitately; stipules usually present. Flowers zygomorphic and bisexual, or actinomorphic and osmetimes polygamous; infloresence often terminal, axillary or supra axillary. Calyx campanulate or tubular, 5-toothed, the posterior pair of teeth often ± connate. Petals mostly 5 or sometimes fewer, free or some or all connate, equal or unequal. Stamens commonly 10, rarely only 3 or 7 fetile and fully developed sometimes numerous; filaments variously untied, rarely free. Ovary monocarpellate, superior, unilocular or sometimes falsely plurilocular, ovules one or more borne on posterior suture; style simple, filiform or capitate, al. Fryit a pod (legume), valves usually dry rarely fleshy, usually dehiscent along both sutures or breaking transversely into 1-seeded segments, or indehicent. Seeds often pea- or bean-like, rarely conspicuously arrilate.
Leaves evenly pinnate or bipinnate, sometimes simple or bilobed. Flowers ± zygomorphic, medium-sized to large and showy. Sepals often united at base forming a receptacular cup. Petals 5 or fewer, somewhat unequal, patent. Stamens usually 10, sometimes fewer, filaments usually free.

Genus Description

Trees or shrubs, erect or large tendrillar climbers, bisexual or dioecious. Leaves simple, usually bilobed at apex, palmately veined; stipules usually small, caducous. Flowers in axillary or terminal racemes or panicles. Sepals borne on margin of receptacular tube, free or ± united, calyx sometimes spathe- like.Petals 5, subequal, usually clawed at base. Fertile stamens 3, 5 or 10, staminodes sometimes present. Pods stalked, oblong, linear or elliptic, compressed, leathery or ± woody, dehiscent.

Species description

Erect shrub or tree 2-12m. Leaves broadly elliptic, 16-18 x 5-15cm, apex deeply (1/3-1/2) bilobed, lobes subacute or obtuse with a subulate point 2-3mm in the sinus between them, base truncate or cordate, glabrous or minutely puberulous beneath, veins 9-11. Racemes 10-12 -flowered, axillary or terminal, buds 2-2.5cm, 5-ridged in upper half, ridges dark coloured.Sepals elliptic, 20 x 3-4mm, connate, calyx spathe-like at anthesis, receptacular tube 9-12mm. Petals pink or mauve, elliptic, 3-4 x1.5-2cm, borne on a claw 1cm. Fertile stamens 3, filaments 3-4cm, shorter hair-like staminodes also present. Pods linear-oblong, 15-25 x 2-2.5cm; seeds ellipsoid, 1.5 x 1cm.

Samtse, Phuntsholing, Chukha, Gelephu, Trashigang. 250-1500m.