Bauhinia semibifida var. semibifida
Content
Description
Tendrilled climber, young branches brownish pubescent, later glabrous.
Leaves: stipules auriculate to orbicular, c. 5 by 2 mm, glabrous or nearly so; petiole 2-6 cm, pubescent to glabrous, lamina obovate-orbicular, 4-11 cm diam.; (9-)ll-13-nerved; bifid 1/4-2/5, tips of lobes obtuse (to acute), base cordate; upper surface glabrous, lower glabrous to glabrescent.
Inflorescences terminal or lateral, short or long racemes with pubescent axis; pedicels pubescent, 3-6 cm; bracts lanceolate, silky puberulous, 5-8 mm, very early caducous; bracteoles linear-acute, c. 8 mm.
Petals white turning yellow, unequal, elliptic to oblong, glabrous except for the pubescent claw, and sometimes sparsely hirsute externally along the median line, 2-3 (-3.5) cm long, claw 2-5 mm.
Stamens 3 fertile; filaments 2.5-3 cm, glabrous, stout; anthers oblong, 1 cm; staminodes 2 or 3, small, filiform.
Stipe of ovary c. 3 mm, ovary c. 10 mm, style stout, c. 5 mm, all entirely densely brown silky tomentose; style increasing towards the very large, oblique, peltate stigma, up to 5 mm across, much lengthening after anthesis.
Seeds c. 6, flat, varying in size.