3528.000 Bauhinia L. - Orchid trees

Schmidt, E.J.D. (2012) A new species of Bauhinia from southern Mozambique and the reinstatement of Bauhinia macrantha Bothalia 42(1) 44-47

Description of the genus

Shrubs or small trees, sometimes scrambling or climbing. Tendrils 0, but branches sometimes coiling in a tendril-like manner. Leaves alternate, simple, conspicuously 2-lobed. Flowers usually large and showy, bisexual, in short racemes or solitary. Calyx spathaceous. Petals 5, free. Fertile stamens 1-10, sometimes accompanied by staminodes. Stigma capitate or small. Pods oblong-linear, woody, dehiscent. Seeds flat.

Derivation of name: Named, because of the 2-lobed leaves, after two Swiss botanists, Jean and Caspar Bauhin.

Worldwide: 300 species, pantropical.

Zambia: 7 taxa.

Insects associated with this genus:
Achaea catella (Banded achaea) Larval food plant
Micraphe lateritia (Rosy slug) Larval foodplant
Rhodesia viridalbata (Frosted emerald) Food plant
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Links to taxa:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this genus

SpeciesFZ divisionsContent
galpinii N.E.Br.S?Description, Image
macrantha Oliv.B,W,SDescription, Image
mendoncae Torre & Hillc.B,WImage
petersiana BolleB,N,W,C,E,SDescription, Image
tomentosa L.N,C,E,SDescription, Image
urbaniana Schinz B,SDescription, Image
variegata L. var. variegata N,CDescription, Image

Other sources of information about Bauhinia:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Bauhinia
Flora of Burundi: Bauhinia
Flora of Caprivi: Bauhinia
Flora of the DRC: Bauhinia
Flora of Malawi: Bauhinia
Flora of Mozambique: Bauhinia
Flora of Mozambique: cultivated Bauhinia
Flora of Zambia: cultivated Bauhinia
Flora of Zimbabwe: Bauhinia
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Bauhinia

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Bauhinia
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Bauhinia
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Bauhinia
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Bauhinia
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Bauhinia
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Bauhinia
JSTOR Plant Science: Bauhinia
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Bauhinia
Plants of the World Online: Bauhinia
Tropicos: Bauhinia
Wikipedia: Bauhinia

Copyright: Mike Bingham, Annette Willemen, Nicholas Wightman, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Mark Hyde, 2011-25

Bingham, M.G., Willemen, A., Wightman, N., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. and Hyde, M.A. (2025). Flora of Zambia: Genus page: Bauhinia.
https://www.zambiaflora.com/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=689, retrieved 27 April 2025

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