Chandigarh Forests

Department of Forest & Wildlife
UT Administration
Chandigarh

BAUHINIA TOMENTOSA Linn.

Division

Angiosperms

Class

Dicotledons

Subclass

Polypetalae

Series

Calyciflorae

Order

Rosales

Family

Caesalpiniaceae

Genus

Bauhinia

Species

tomentosa

Botanical name:

 

Bauhinia tomentosa Linn.

Local/Trade names:

St. Thomas-Tree, Champa, Pita Kanchana

Conservation status:

 

Commonly planted in gardens.

Digonestic features:

Flowers yellow.

Description:

A large shrub or small tree. Bark grey. Leaves 4-7 cm across, a little broader than long, deeply cleft with a bristle at the cleft; lobes obtuse at the apex, truncate or subcordate base, 7-9-nerved. Flowers usually in pairs, yellow, on axillary or leaf-opposed peduncles. Pod 10-13 cm long, light-brown. Seeds 8-12.

Phenology:

 

Fls.: July-Aug. Frts.: Jan.-Feb.

Distribution:

 

Wild or cultivated, extending to China and Tropical Africa.

Where to see it:

Flowering Tree section.

Uses:

Decoction of root-bark used for inflammation of liver and as vermifuge. Bark yields a fibre. Leaves used as a yellow dye with turmeric. Dried leaves, buds, and flowers used in dysentery. Fruits diuretic. Seeds used as a tonic, yield a fatty oil called ebony oil.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email