Bauhinia endertii
Content
Description
Large tendrilled climber; the young branches silky reddish brown, later glabrous.
Leaves: stipules lanceolate, reddish woolly outside, inside subglabrous, c. 4 mm long, early caducous; petioles 3-5 cm, rusty tomentose; lamina ovate to orbicular, 4-10 by 4-12 cm; 11-13-nerved; bifid 1/4-1/3 with broad sinus; tip of lobes rounded to acute or acuminate; base deeply cordate; upper surface sparsely yellowish brown to coppery pubescent, particularly along the nerves, lower reddish brown puberulous, mainly on the nerves.
Inflorescences terminal and lateral, compound or simple, dense corymbs; pedicels up to 2 cm, greyish pubescent; bracts narrow lanceolate acuminate, 4-6 mm, outside appressed hirsute; bracteoles subulate, 2-4 mm, inserted 1-3 mm below the hypanthium.
Petals yellowish white, narrowly oblong, subequal, 7-10 mm long, margin cre- nate-undulate, gradually narrowing into the indistinct, greenish claw, outside densely appressed hirsute, inside glabrous.
Stamens 3 fertile; filaments 5-6 mm, glabrous; anthers red, c. 2 mm; staminodes 2, minute, subulate.
Ovary appressed hirsute, subses- sile, c. 3 mm; style hirsute; stigma peltate.
Seeds 3 or 4, flat, oval, c. 2 cm diam.
Distribution
Asia-Tropical: Borneo (Sabah present, Sarawak present), E Kalimantan present, W present
Malesia: Borneo (Sabah, Sarawak, W and E Kalimantan)
Taxonomy
This species is closely related to Bauhinia fulva; we have kept it at specific level as we find it fairly well distinguished by the small, more gracile floral structures, the hairy style and several quantitative characters. Only one specimen has a mature pod, a very old one; if the pod really is glabrous this is another good character distinguishing it from B. fidva.
In this species there is a wide variation in the indumentum of the leaves and inflorescences from densely hairy to almost glabrous. Also the shape of the leaves varies considerably. One specimen, Argent & Coppins 1148 (AAU, E) from Mt Mulu has the leaves glabrous or nearly so and the tip of the lobes caudate; the inflorescence is almost glabrous, the flowers somewhat larger, and the style subglabrous. When more material from Mt Mulu is available, it may be established as a separate variety.