Bauhinia variegata L. (CAESALPINIACEAE)
Common names
Kannada: Kanchan, Kovidara, Mandara.
Malayalam: Chuvanna mandaram.
Sanskrit: Kanchanara, Kovidaara.
Tamil: Segapu manchori, Semmandarai.
Telugu: Daeva kanchanamu, Mandara.
Description: Deciduous medium sized trees, up to 8 m tall. Leaves deeply cleft ¼ – ¹/3 the way down, up to 11 x 11 cm, cordate at base, acute to acuminate at apex, glabrous above, sparsely pubescent beneath. Flowers in axillary and terminal lax racemes, 5-merous, calyx spathaceous, 5-thoothed at apex, up to 3 cm long, pink/white with reddish brown streaks. The fruit is a flat pod that splits open, measuring up to 25 by 2 centimeters, and is smooth.
Flowering & Fruiting : August – February.
Distribution: India: Frequently cultivated, sometimes naturalized. China.