Bauhinia variegata

Orchid tree
Flowers
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Bauhinia
Species: B. variegata
Binomial name
Bauhinia variegata[1][2]
(L.) Benth.
Synonyms
  • Phanera variegata (L.) Benth.
  • Bauhinia alba Wall.
  • Bauhinia candida Aiton
  • Bauhinia variegata L. var. candida (Aiton) Corner
  • Bauhinia variegata L. var. chinensis DC.

Bauhinia variegata is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae.[3] It is native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, from southern China, Burma, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Common names include orchid tree, camel's foot tree, kachnar and mountain-ebony.

Description

It is a small to medium-sized tree growing to 10–12 metres (33–39 ft) tall, deciduous in the dry season. The leaves are 10–20 centimetres (3.9–7.9 in) obcordate shaped, long and broad, rounded, and bilobed at the base and apex. The flowers are conspicuous, bright pink or white, 8–12 centimetres (3.1–4.7 in) diameter, with five petals. The fruit is a pod 15–30 centimetres (5.9–11.8 in) long, containing several seeds.

In cultivation

This is a very popular ornamental tree in subtropical and tropical climates, grown for its scented flowers and also used as food item in South Asian cuisine. In the Neotropics, it can be used to attract hummingbirds—such as sapphire-spangled emerald (Amazilia lactea), glittering-bellied emerald (Chlorostilbon lucidus), or white-throated hummingbird (Leucochloris albicollis)—into gardens and parks.[4] On the other hand, in some areas it has become naturalised and invasive.

Uses as food

Kachnar is widely used as an ingredient in many Pakistani and Indian recipes. Traditional kachnar curry is prepared using kachnar buds, yogurt, onions and native Pakistani and Indian spices. Kachnar buds are also eaten as a stir fried vegetable and used to make achaar, a pickle in many parts of the Indian sub-continent. In Rawalpindi, Pakistan Kachnar is cooked with minced beef.

References

  1. ↑ Sinou C, Forest F, Lewis GP, Bruneau A (2009). "The genus Bauhinia s.l. (Leguminosae): a phylogeny based on the plastid trnL–trnF region". Botany. 87 (10): 947–960. doi:10.1139/B09-065.
  2. ↑ Wunderlin RP. (2010). "Reorganization of the Cercideae (Fabaceae: Caesalpinioideae)" (PDF). Phytoneuron. 48: 1–5.
  3. ↑ "Bauhinia variegata". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  4. ↑ Baza Mendonça, Luciana; dos Anjos, Luiz (2005). "Beija-flores (Aves, Trochilidae) e seus recursos florais em uma área urbana do Sul do Brasil [Hummingbirds (Aves, Trochilidae) and their flowers in an urban area of southern Brazil]. [Portuguese with English abstract]" (PDF). Revista Brasileira de Zoologia. 22 (1): 51–59. doi:10.1590/S0101-81752005000100007.
  • "Bauhinia variegata". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
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