BAUHINIA 



BAUHINIA 



457 



racemes; petals 5, somewhat unequal, usually narrowed 

 into a claw; stamens 10, but sometimes reduced even 

 to 3 and perhaps bearing sterile filaments; ovary 

 stalked, stigma in some species peltate and in others 

 oblique: fr. a long flat pod, dehiscent or indehiscent. 

 About 150 species in tropics of both hemispheres. The 

 number and fertility of the stamens are important 

 characters in determining the subgenera. The purplish 

 fls. of some species suggest those of some kinds of 

 pelargonium. The bauhinias are not papilionaceous. 

 Some of the arboreal species (as B. variegata) produce 

 ebony wood. Others are gigantic climbers, sometimes 

 mounting the highest trees. 



Bauhinias are frequent in plantings in many parts of 

 the tropics. They are planted to some extent in south- 

 ern Florida and southern California. Numbers of spe- 

 cies are likely to be introduced from time to time 

 because of their gorgeous appearance in the tropics. 

 In the experience of Old World gardeners, the most 

 reliable species under glass are B. variegata, B. corym- 

 bosa, and B. natalensis. These can be planted outside 

 in southern Florida in summer, and kept over winter 

 as oleanders are. B. variegata and B. purpurea are two 

 of the commonest and showiest small trees of India, 

 and, although frequently introduced into northern 

 greenhouses, have rarely succeeded permanently. B. 

 variegata is much cultivated in India. The astringent 

 bark is used in tanning and dyeing, and the leaves and 

 flower-buds as a vegetable, the latter being pickled. 

 Bauhinias thrive in a variety of soils on our southern- 

 most borders. They delight in high well-drained land, 

 but will grow on lower lands in southern Florida if it 

 is fairly well drained or if set on slight mounds; all 

 of them are very tender and easily affected by low 

 temperatures, but are easily saved by banking. B. pur- 

 purea and B. variegata (B. alba) have withstood a 

 temperature of 26 F. in Florida. No particular care in 

 tillage or fertilizing is necessary, but better bloom is 

 secured if some attention is given to these details. 

 From seeds in Florida bauhinias grow readily and 

 bloom freely in three or four years. Cuttings root with 

 difficulty, but some kinds propagate readily from 

 suckers. Bauhinias are little known as greenhouse 

 subjects; but in the tropics they make showy and very 

 attractive shrubs or small trees or profuse vines. (E. N. 

 Reasoner.) 



INDEX. 



acuminata, 4. 

 alba, 12. 

 Candida, 12. 

 corymbosa, 2. 

 forficata, 8. 

 /ur/uracea, 8. 



Galpinii, 3. 

 grandiflora, 5. 

 Kappleri, 10. 

 Kruijii, 10. 

 natalensis, 6. 

 picta, 7. 



purpurea, 11. 

 tomentosa, 9. 

 triandra, 11. 

 variegata, 12. 

 yunnanensis, 1. 



A. Plant climbing, or at least of climbing habit or 

 tendencies. 



1. yunnanensis, Franch. Vigorous, glabrous and 

 glaucous throughout: Ivs. coriaceous, bipartite; segms. 

 obliquely elliptic, 3^4-nerved, rounded, 1 l /t in. : fls. in 

 many-fld. pendulous racemes, rosy white striped with 

 purple. Yunnan, China. B.M. 7814. 



2. corymbdsa, Roxbg. Woody climber, branching 

 from the ground: branches grooved: tendrils opposite, 

 revolute: Ivs. \ l /fr-1 in. long, outer edges slightly 

 rounded, inner edges straight and parallel; Ifts. nearly 

 free from each other; nerves 2-4: fls. numerous, corym- 

 bose, 1 in. across, rosy, with fluted petals, and char- 

 acteristic venation; stamens bright red, 3 very long, 

 the rest abortive. China. B.M. 6621. G.C. II. 16:204. 



3. Galpinii, N. E. Br. Half-climbing shrub, 5-10 ft.: 

 Ivs. 1-3 in. long, 2-lobed from one-fifth to one-half their 

 length, 7-nerved; petiole about J^in. long: racemes 

 6-10-fld.; fls. borne continuously from spring to late 

 autumn; petals 5, all alike, 1-1 Y-i in. long; claw as long 

 as the limb; limb orbicular, cuspidate, brick-red; fertile 

 stamens 3: pod 3-5 in. long; seeds dark brown. S. and 

 Trop. Afr. B.M. 7494. Discovered 1891. 



AA. Plant upright, a bush or tree. 

 B. Fls. white. 



4. acuminata, Linn. Height 5-6 ft. : Ifts. ovate, acu- 

 minate, parallel, 4-nerved, closing at night: fls. 2-3 in. 

 across; fertile stamen long and nearly free, the other 9 

 short, connected, and sterile. India, Malaya, China. 

 B.M. 7866. J.H. III. 44: 343. One of the most satis- 

 factory of all, either for open ground or greenhouse cul- 

 ture, as it will bloom the first summer, when but a few 

 months old and but a foot or two high, and in succeed- 

 ing summers blooms continuously from May to Sept. 



5. grandifldra, Juss. Tree, to 20 ft.: Ivs. oval or sub- 

 cordate, tomentose beneath, not deeply divided, the 

 lobes ovate-obtuse and.3-4-nerved, stipules spiny: fls. 

 very large, pure white, opening at night, 1-3 on axillary 

 peduncles; petals obovate, acute at apex, clawed. S. 

 Amer. R.H. 1897, p. 393. 



6. natalensis, Oliver. Small shrub: Ivs. numerous; 

 Ifts. each 1 in. long, with a midrib and a few nerves, 

 dark green; petioles Y^-Yivd. long; Ifts. entirely free: fls. 

 single or in 2's, l\i in. across, white, the midvein of the 

 3 upper petals reddish; petals erect or spreading, the 2 

 lower ones larger; stamens 10, 5 long and 5 short: pod 

 3 in. long. S. Afr. B.M. 6086. 



Not advertised at present. 



7. picta, DC. Unarmed: Ivs. 

 roundish elliptic, membranous, 

 glabrous; Ifts. semi-ovate, acu- 

 tish, 5-nerved: fls. in solitary 

 terminal racemes, white; calyx 

 ferrugineous-tomentose; petals 

 oblong. Colombia. 



477. Bauhinia Kappleri. 

 (XH) 



BB. Fls. colored (cream -color, 

 yellow, or shades of red or 

 purple). 



8. forficata, Link (B. furfur- 

 acea, Hort.). Thorny shrub: 

 Ivs. cordate at base, glabrous, 

 cleft to middle: fls. cream-color 

 in summer, rather bell-shaped, 

 the petals narrow. Brazil. 

 B.M. 3741. Gt. 10:333. 



9. tomentdsa, Linn. ST. 

 THOMAS TREE. Erect shrub or 



small tree, branches downy: Ivs. broader than long, 

 1-2 in. long, coriaceous, the lobes obtuse, 7-nerved: fls. 

 mostly in axillary pairs (sometimes 1 or 3) on pedicels 

 bearing a pair of bractlets, yellow with red blotch on 

 the upper petal, the petals 2 in. or less long, obovate, 

 much exceeding calyx (which is entire): pod stalked, 

 4-5 in. long. India. B.M. 5560. 



10. Kappleri, Sagot (B. Krugii, Urban). Fig. 477. 

 Strong tree, to 50 ft.: Ivs. 2J^ in. or less long, long- 

 petioled, longer than broad, truncate or somewhat 

 cordate at base, divided about one-third of the length 

 into obtuse lobes that are about 5-nerved : fls. in short 

 racemes opposite the Ivs., whitish rose with darker and 

 purple markings, the petals spatulate and clawed; 

 lower stamens fertile: pod 6-10 in., narrow and curved. 

 Probably French Guiana; cult, and partly sponta- 

 neous in W. Indies. Attractive. 



11. purp&rea, Linn. (B. triandra, Roxbg.). Small to 

 middle-sized tree: Ivs. coriaceous, glabrous, somewhat 

 cordate, cleft one-third to one-half their depth, 9-11- 

 nerved; lobes obtuse or somewhat acute: fls. in few- 

 fld. axillary and terminal corymbs, fragrant; petals 

 red, one streaked with white on the claw, oblanceolate, 

 acute; fertile stamens 3-4, very long, the rest sterile or 

 abortive: pod 1 ft. long. India, Burma, China. One 

 of the finest flowering small trees in S. Fla. Fls. are 

 borne in the greatest profusion, 3-5 in. across, varying 

 in color from almost white to a shade of rich purple, and 

 marked and shaded with many tones. The plant is 



