Bauhinia gracillima

Primary tabs

Bauhinia gracillima

Description

Slender climber; young branches finely pubescent, later glabrous. Leaves: stipules narrow triangular, acute, early caducous; petioles (1.5 — )3 — 8 cm, very slender; lamina suborbicular, often broader than long, 5-10 cm diam., 11-13-nerved; nerves very prominent below; bifid 1/3-1/2 with rather narrow sinus; tip of lobes broadly rounded, base truncate to shallowly cordate; upper surface glabrous or nearly so, lower minutely appressed pubescent. Inflorescences few-flowered, terminal corymbs; pedicels very slender, 3.5-5 cm, subglabrous; bracts linear, 3-5 mm, glabrous; bracteoles filiform, 3-4 mm, inserted below the middle of the pedicel. Petals greenish (?), 1.5-2.5 cm long including the very narrow to almost filiform, 5-15 mm long claw; the blade narrowly lanceolate with finely undulate margin, inside pubescent towards the claw, outside glabrous. Stamens 2 fertile, filaments glabrous, 10-13 mm, slender; anthers c. 2 mm long; staminodes c. 7, small, 1-2 mm, with broadened base, some with minute anthers. Ovary 4-5 mm on a c. 3 mm long, slender stipe, puberulous; style slender, 5-7 mm, glabrous; stigma inconspicuous.

Distribution

Asia-Tropical, NE Sandakan present
Malesia: endemic to Borneo (NE Sandakan, only few collections are known from the Kaloili-Sepilok Forest Reserve).Borneo (NE Sandakan)

Morphology

De Wit (l.c.) quoted the flowers as olive green from the label of the holotype; on the label of a new collection from the same area the collector notes 'flowers white'.