Bauhinia Purpurea: Nature’s Marvels in Tropical Regions

The Bauhinia purpurea belongs to a genus comprising around 600 species of plants. These can be trees, shrubs, or climbing vines.

Their stipules often fall off early; the leaves are single, entire, with their ends either indented or divided into two lobes, and sometimes deeply split to form two separate leaflets.

The base veins range from three to numerous, with the midrib often extending between two lobes to form a small awn. The flowers are usually bisexual, rarely unisexual, forming a raceme, an umbel, or a conical inflorescence.

The bracts and bracteoles often fall off early; the pedicel is short and spiraled or elongated into a tubular shape; the calyx is cup-shaped, flame-like, or splits into five sepals when the flower blooms; the five petals are slightly unequal and often have petiole.

The seeds are round or ovate, flat, with or without endosperm, and the radicle is straight or nearly straight. There are approximately 600 species, distributed throughout the tropical regions of the world.

I. Morphological Features

Approximately 600 species are distributed throughout the world’s tropical regions. There are 40 species, 4 subspecies, and 11 varieties in China, mainly produced in the southern and southwestern regions.

The model species is B. divaricata Linn.

These plants can be trees, shrubs, or climbing vines. Their stipules often fall off early; they have single leaves, with whole edges, and the tips are notched or split into two lobes, sometimes deeply divided to the base to form two separate leaflets; there are 3 to several basal veins, and the midvein often extends between the two lobes to form a small awn.

The flowers are bisexual, rarely unisexual, and form cymose inflorescences, umbel inflorescences, or conical inflorescences; the bracts and small bracts usually fall off early.

The flower pedicel is short and spirally twisted or extended into a tubular shape; the calyx is cup-shaped, flame-shaped, or split into 5 calyx lobes at flowering.

There are 5 petals, slightly unequal, often with petioles; there are 10, 5, or 3 fertile stamens, sometimes 2 or 1, the anthers are dorsal, longitudinally dehiscent, rarely pore-dehiscent.

There are several degenerate stamens (or infertile stamens), the anthers are smaller, without pollen; the pseudo-stamens are gradually pointed at the top, without anthers, sometimes the base is palmate.

The floral disc is flat or fleshy and swollen, sometimes lacking; the ovary usually has a stalk, with 2 to several ovules, the style is slender and filamentous or short and thick, the stigma is terminal, capitate or shield-shaped.

The fruit is a linear, band-shaped, or cylindrical legume, usually flat, dehiscent, rarely indehiscent; the seeds are round or ovate, flat, with or without endosperm, and the radicle is straight or nearly straight.

II. Growing Environment

They grow in sunny mountainous areas amidst shrubs.

III. Distribution Range

There are approximately 600 species, distributed throughout the tropical regions of the world.