Bauhinia lucida

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Bauhinia lucida

Description

Large, tendrilled liana; all young parts glabrous; young branches terete, finely striate. Leaves: stipules early caducous (not observed); petioles slender, 0.5-2 cm; lamina chartaceous, entire, narrowly ovate to elliptic; apex acuminate with blunt, rarely slightly emarginate tip; base cordate, 7-15 by 5-9 cm; nerves 5(-7); both surfaces glossy, glabrous, except for a few appressed hairs on the nerves on the lower side. Inflorescences terminal or lateral, slender racemes, 10-20 cm long, axis strongly ribbed, brownish puberulous as the rest of the inflorescence; pedicels 15-20 mm, sturdy, striate; bracts narrow lanceolate, c. 5 mm, caducous; bracteoles subulate, not opposite, 3-4 mm, inserted about the middle. Petals yellow turning red, ovate-oblong, outside rusty pubescent, c. 17 mm long including the 3-4 mm claw. Stamens 3 fertile; filaments glabrous, slightly enlarged at base, c. 10 mm; anthers spherical, c. 1 mm; staminodes many, up to 15, up to 5 mm long, thickened at base. Ovary c. 5 mm, on a 2-3 mm long, reddish brown, pubescent stipe, hairy along the suture; style glabrous; stigma indistinct. Seeds 4-6, irregularly orbicular, c. 1 cm across.

Distribution

Asia-Tropical, Mentawei Isl. (Siberut) W of Sumatra present, Perak present, coastal zone of Penang present, on Batu Togo present
Malesia: Malay Peninsula (coastal zone of Penang and Perak and on Batu Togo). Also on Mentawei Isl. (Siberut) W of Sumatra..

Notes

Baker (I.e.: 285) mentions Bauhinia lucida under 'doubtful species'; this refers to Wallich Cat. 5779B, a sterile specimen with two free leaflets, a collection that cannot be identified.

Citation

de Wit 1956 – In: Reinwardtia: 511.
Ridley 1922 – In: Fl. Malay Penins.: 630.