Bauhinia fulva
Content
Description
Large climber; young branches densely woolly brown hairy, later glabrous.
Leaves: stipules broadly lanceolate, densely woolly outside, less so inside, 5-10 mm long, caducous; petiole pubescent, 4-8 cm long; lamina broadly obovate to orbicular, up to 20 cm diam.; 11-13-nerved; bifid 1/3-1/2 with narrow sinus; tip of lobes rounded to acute; base deeply cordate; upper surface reddish brown puberulous when young, later glabrescent, lower woolly pubescent, indumentum gradually diminishing.
Inflorescences terminal and lateral, simple or compound, dense corymbs; pedicels slender, up to 4 cm long, greyish brown woolly; bracts ovate, glabrous inside, woolly outside, c. 3 mm long; bracteoles minute, 1-2 mm, subulate, inserted just below the hypanthium.
Petals white, obovate, unequal, 10-22 mm long including the 3-5 mm long greenish claw, outside appressed hirsute, inside glabrous.
Stamens 3 fertile; filaments 10-18 mm, glabrous; anthers c. 2 mm long; staminodes 2, minute, subulate.
Ovary 4-5 mm incl. the short stipe, reddish brown velvety; style slender, 6-7 mm, glabrous; stigma peltate.
Seeds 4-7, flat, orbicular, c. 2 cm diam.