Bauhinia acuminata

Bauhinia acuminata is a species of flowering shrub native to tropical southeastern Asia. Common names include dwarf white bauhinia, white orchid-tree and snowy orchid-tree. The exact native range is obscure due to extensive cultivation, but probably from Malaysia, Indonesia (Java, Borneo, Kalimantan, Lesser Sunda Islands), and the Philippines. It grows two to three meters tall. Like the other Bauhinia species, the leaves are bilobed, shaped like an ox hoof; they are 6 to 15 centimetres (2+1⁄4 to 6 in) long and broad, with the apical cleft up to 5 centimetres (2 in) deep; the petiole is 1.5 to 4 centimetres (1⁄2 to 1+1⁄2 in) long. The flowers are fragrant, 8 to 12 centimetres (3+1⁄4 to 4+3⁄4 in) in diameter, with five white petals, ten yellow-tipped stamens and a green stigma. The fruit is a pod 7.5 to 15 centimetres (3 to 6 in) long and 1.5 to 1.8 centimetres (1⁄2 to 3⁄4 in) broad. The species occurs in deciduous forests and scrub. It is widely cultivated throughout the tropics as an ornamental plant. It may be found as an escape from cultivation in some areas, and has become naturalised on the Cape York Peninsula, Australia. The plant has a number of ethnobotanical uses around the world. The roots are used by the Javanese to treat cough and cold and in India the leaves and bark are used to treat asthma. It is also used in many culinary dishes of Odisha

Description

An evergreen shrub. It grows 3 m tall. The leaves have 2 lobes. They are downy and rounded. The leaves are 15 cm long. The flowers are white to pale yellow. There are only a few flowers on a stalk. The flowers are 5 cm wide. The fruit are flattened pods.

Edible Uses

The white to pale yellow flowers are eaten raw or fried. Young shoots and fruit are cooked and eaten as a vegetable.

Traditional Uses

The flowers are eaten raw or fried. The young shoots and fruit are eaten as a vegetable.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

The leaves, roots and flowers are used medicinally.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It needs regular moisture and humidity. It needs a fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soil. It suits hardiness zones 10-12. In XTBG Yunnan.

Where It Grows

Africa, Andaman Is., Asia*, Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Dominican Republic, East Africa, East Timor, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Marquesas, Myanmar, Northeastern India, Pacific, Pakistan, Philippines, SE Asia, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam, West Indies, Winward Is., Zimbabwe,

Cultivation

It can be grown by seeds or root suckers.

Propagation

Seed - Cuttings of half-ripe wood.

Other Uses

The plant is grown as a hedge.

Notes

There are about 250-350 Bauhinia species. Most are in the tropics. Also as Caesalpinaceae.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Bunga perak, Cheung kou sar, Kaa-long, Kokkumandarai, Kupu kupu, Mahahlega-phyu, Mati kotora, Megong aphal, Mong-bo nhon, Mong-bo trang, Palan, Quach vang, Sivamalli, Swe-daw, Tapak kuda, Vaibe, Vellutthamandarom

References (17)

• Ambasta S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 68
• Anderson, E. F., 1993, Plants and people of the Golden Triangle. Dioscorides Press. p 203
• Bircher, A. G. & Bircher, W. H., 2000, Encyclopedia of Fruit Trees and Edible Flowering Plants in Egypt and the Subtropics. AUC Press. p 55
• Bodkin, F., 1991, Encyclopedia Botanica. Cornstalk publishing, p 134
• Engel, D.H., & Phummai, S., 2000, A Field Guide to Tropical Plants of Asia. Timber Press. p 142

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