Bauhinia

Bauhinia () is a large genus of flowering plants in the subfamily Cercidoideae and tribe Bauhinieae, in the large flowering plant family Fabaceae, with a pantropical distribution. The genus was named after the Bauhin brothers Gaspard and Johann, Swiss-French botanists.

Many species are widely planted in the tropics as orchid trees, particularly in India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Nepal and south-eastern China. Other common names include mountain ebony and kachnar. Before the family was reorganised,

Parts of some species of bauhinia like B. purpurea and B. malabarica are used in Filipino cuisine (known collectively as alinbánban or alinbángbang, "butterfly").

Bauhinia × blakeana is the floral emblem of Hong Kong—a stylized orchid tree flower appears on the flag of Hong Kong. Hong Kong Airlines (formerly CR Airways) also uses 'Bauhinia' as its radio callsign in air traffic communication, which appears in its logo.

Description

Bauhinia trees typically reach a height of 6–12 m and their branches spread 3–6 m outwards. The lobed leaves usually are 10–15 cm across.

The five-petaled flowers are 7.5–12.5 cm diameter, generally in shades of red, pink, purple, orange, or yellow, and are often fragrant. The tree begins flowering in late winter and often continues to flower into early summer.

Cultivation

Propagation of Bauhinia species is from seeds or cuttings. They thrive in alkaline soils and do not tolerate salty conditions. Full sun exposure is preferred but they can be grown under partial sun. Generous watering is needed during summer; moderate moisture required in winter.

Species

thumb|right|[[Bauhinia acuminata]]

thumb|right|[[Bauhinia corifolia fruit]]

thumb|right|[[Bauhinia monandra]]

thumb|right|[[Bauhinia natalensis]]

thumb|right|Bauhinia phoenicea

thumb|right|[[Bauhinia purpurea]]

thumb|right|[[Bauhinia racemosa]]

thumb|right|[[Bauhinia tomentosa]]

thumb|Flower of Bauhinia x blakeana

thumb|[[Bauhinia variegata is almost leafless during flowering. Bauhinia purpurea and Bauhinia blakeana, which are often confused with B. variegata, are leafy during flowering.]]

, Plants of the World Online accepts the following 187 species:

Hybrids

One hybrid is known, Bauhinia × blakeana S. T. Dunn (Bauhinia variegata × Bauhinia purpurea)—Hong Kong orchid tree.

Fossils

The oldest known species is B. tibetensis, known from fossil leaves from the Late Paleocene of the Tibetan Plateau, where it inhabited the Kohistan-Ladakh Arc, an island arc that existed in the region at the time. It has been suggested that the Asian clade of Bauhinia originated as early as the Early Paleocene, when it dispersed from the genus's region of origin in Africa.

†Bauhinia cretacea Newberry
†Bauhinia fotana F.M.B. Jacques et al.
†Bauhinia gigantea Newberry
†Bauhinia gracilis J.R. Tao
†Bauhinia larsenii D.X. Zhang & Y. F. Chen
†Bauhinia ningmingensis Qi Wang, Z. Q. Song, Y. F. Chen, S. Shen & Z. Y. Li
†Bauhinia tibetensis Y. Gao et T. Su
†Bauhinia ungulatoides Y.X.Lin, W.O.Wong, G.L.Shi, S.Shen & Z.Y.Li
†Bauhinia wenshanensis H.H. Meng & Z.K. Zhou
†Bauhinia wyomingiana Brown

Segregated genera

Species in the genera Barklya, Gigasiphon, Lysiphyllum, Phanera (including Lasiobema), Piliostigma, Schnella, and Tylosema are sometimes included in Bauhinia sensu lato or considered as tribe Bauhinieae.