Description

It is a small to medium-sized tree growing to tall, deciduous in the dry season. The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are obcordate shaped, long and broad, rounded, and bilobed at the base and apex. The flowers are conspicuous, bright pink or white, diameter, with five petals. Pollens are elongated, approximately 75 microns in length. The fruit is a seedpod long, containing several seeds. The seedpod dries completely on the tree, and when mature begins to twist into a helix or corkscrew shape, (see

below Below may refer to: *Earth *Ground (disambiguation) *Soil *Floor *Bottom (disambiguation) Bottom may refer to: Anatomy and sex * Bottom (BDSM), the partner in a BDSM who takes the passive, receiving, or obedient role, to that of the top or ...

), ultimately exploding open—with a very audible "clack"—to deliver its seeds into the environs. The anatomy of the stem was studied by taking transverse section. Periderm and cortex were seen distinctly. Secondary phloem was wide and continuous cylindrical, it consisted of thin and narrow straight rays, three or four cylinders of discontinuous masses of fibres and randomly distributed sieve elements. Secondary xylem was diffuse porous and it included vessels, fibres, xylem rays and xylem parenchyma. Xylem fibres had thick lignified walls or some had gelatinous walls. Xylem

parenchyma Parenchyma () is the bulk of functional substance in an animal organ or structure such as a tumour. In zoology it is the name for the tissue that fills the interior of flatworms. Etymology The term ''parenchyma'' is New Latin from the word π ...

cells were abundant in the xylem. Xylem rays were one cell wide; they were straight and consisted of radially elongated thick walled lignified walls. Calcium-oxalate crystals are predominantly prismatic crystals and druses type. Powder microscopical examination showed presence of fibres, parenchymatous cells, periderm and vessel elements. Histochemical analysis of stem showed presence of protein, tannin,

lignin Lignin is a class of complex organic polymers that form key structural materials in the support tissues of most plants. Lignins are particularly important in the formation of cell walls, especially in wood and bark, because they lend rigidity ...

and cellulose. The anatomy of the root was studied by taking transverse section.

Secondary phloem Phloem (, ) is the living tissue in vascular plants that transports the soluble organic compounds made during photosynthesis and known as ''photosynthates'', in particular the sugar sucrose, to the rest of the plant. This transport process is c ...

and

secondary xylem Xylem is one of the two types of transport tissue in vascular plants, the other being phloem. The basic function of xylem is to transport water from roots to stems and leaves, but it also transports nutrients. The word ''xylem'' is derived from ...

were seen distinctly. Secondary phloem had fairly wide rays, dense masses of phloem fibers and radial rows of phloem elements. Secondary xylem had much wider, thin-walled vessels which were either solitary or in radial multiples. The xylem fibers constituted gelatinous type and normal type. Calcium oxalate crystals were predominantly prismatic type. Powder microscopical examination showed presence of xylem parenchyma cells, xylem fibers and vessel elements.

In cultivation

This is a very popular

ornamental tree Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

in subtropical and tropical climates, grown for its scented flowers and also used as a food item in Indian cuisine. In the Neotropics, it can be used to attract

hummingbird Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the biological family Trochilidae. With about 361 species and 113 genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but the vast majority of the species are found in the tropics aro ...

s—such as sapphire-spangled emerald (''Amazilia lactea''), glittering-bellied emerald (''Chlorostilbon lucidus''), or

white-throated hummingbird The white-throated hummingbird (''Leucochloris albicollis'') is a species of hummingbird in the "emeralds", tribe Trochilini of subfamily Trochilinae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.HBW and BirdLife International (2021) ...

(''Leucochloris albicollis'')—into gardens and parks. On the other hand, in some areas it has become

naturalised Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the in ...

and

invasive Invasive may refer to: *Invasive (medical) procedure *Invasive species *Invasive observation, especially in reference to surveillance *Invasively progressive spread of disease from one organ in the body to another, especially in reference to cancer ...

Uses

Kachnar is a local name in the Indian subcontinent for the edible

buds In botany, a bud is an undeveloped or embryonic shoot and normally occurs in the axil of a leaf or at the tip of a stem. Once formed, a bud may remain for some time in a dormant condition, or it may form a shoot immediately. Buds may be specia ...

collected from the tree; it is widely used as an ingredient in many subcontinent recipes. Traditional kachnar curry is prepared using kachnar buds, yogurt, onions and native spices. Kachnar buds are also eaten as a stir-fried vegetable and used to make achaar, a pickle in many parts of the Indian sub-continent. It shows a good antioxidant and anticancer activity. In Nepal, the plant is known as ''koiralo'' and the flower is known as ''koiralo ko phool'' in Nepali language. The flower and the buds are used to make Nepalese style achaar. The flowers and buds are boiled for a while and then mixed with roughly mashed boiled potato, chopped green chilies, chopped onions, fresh peas, coriander leaves and spices like ''timmur'', salt, pepper, turmeric powder, roasted

sesame Sesame ( or ; ''Sesamum indicum'') is a flowering plant in the genus ''Sesamum'', also called benne. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cu ...

powder (''til ko chhop''), cumin powder and coriander powder. Heated mustard oil and fenugreek seeds is then added to the mixture and then lemon juice or lime juice concentrate (''chuk amilo'' in Nepali) is then added as per taste. The achar is then served instantly. The achar is important part of the meal served during the Ghode Jatra festival.

Gallery

Image:Pollen of Bauhinia variegata.jpg, Pollen Image:Bauhinia variegata MHNT.BOT.2011.3.22.jpg, Seed pods and seeds – MHNT Image:Bauhinia variegata Devakanchanam leaves Bhadrachalam.jpg, 'Camel-foot' foliage Image:Bauhinia variegata var candida in Hyderabad W IMG 4659.jpg, Var. ''candida'' in Hyderabad, India Image:Bauhinia variegata, Parque de la Alegría, Málaga (03).jpg, As ornamental tree in Spain File:洋紫荊 Bauhinia variegata 20220313093543 01.jpg, Thin branches

References

External links

''Bauhinia variegata'' in West African plants – A Photo Guid

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Invasive Species South Africa
{{Taxonbar, from=Q840341 Bauhinia, variegata Flora of China Flora of the Indian subcontinent Flora of Indo-China Garden plants of Asia Ornamental trees Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Trees in Buddhism Symbols of Bihar