Bauhinia tomentosa

Bauhinia tomentosa is a large and deciduous shrub or a small tree reaching 4-5 meters. 
This unarmed tree is many-stemmed (with a lot of slender branchlets).

The bark of Bauhinia tomentosa is smooth when young and longitudinally cracked with age. It is grey-brownish coloured.

The leaf of Bauhinia tomentosa is wider than long (the blade is about 4.5-7 cm long and 5-8 cm wide). The leaves are alternate. The leaf is formed of twin leaflets connate about two thirds of their length. So, the leaf is deeply divided into two lobes.
The leaves are chartaceous and pale green with a 2-2.5 cm long petiole.
The upper side of the leaf is glabrous whereas the lower side is densely pubescent.
The venation of this leaf is digitate and 7-nerved.
The base is truncate, the apex is obtuse and the margins are entire.
There is a 7-9 mm long linear stipule at the axil of the leaf.

The flowers of Bauhinia tomentosa are usually in axillary leaf-opposed pairs. These bright yellow flowers are large, bell-shaped and pendulous. They are about 7 cm across with a 0.8-1 cm long pedicel. The peduncle is 1-1.5 cm long. The bracts are linear and 5 mm long.
The corolla is composed of 5 yellow petals, one of which has a dark maroon patch at the base. The petals are obovate, 5 cm long and 3 cm wide. The petals of wilted flowers turn veined purple.
The calyx-tube is spathaceous with 5 oblong and 1-1.5 cm long lobes. The calyx is light green coloured and pubescent.
There are 10 stamens. They are hairy at the base, filiform and from 1 to 2 cm long. The anthers are versatile and 2-3 mm long. The style is 2.5-3 cm long with a dilated stigma.
The flowers are fragrant.

The fruit of Bauhinia tomentosa is a dehiscent pod. 
This pod is pubescent, oblong, horned, 10-12 cm long and 1.5-2 cm wide. 
Unripe fruits are light green and turn brown when ripe. 
There are 6 to 10 seeds in a fruit.

The seeds of Bauhinia tomentosa are ovate, glabrous and there are 6 to 10 seeds in each pod.
They are compressed and 7 mm long x 5 mm wide.

Bauhinia tomentosa is cultivated in gardens and parks as an ornamental tree.

Bauhinia tomentosa is not an important browsing tree for cattle as it contains prussic acid in the pods and the flowers. The goats tend to nibble the leaves but do not consume much. (Agroforestree Database 4.0,Orwa et al.2009)

The branches of Bauhinia tomentosa are used by basket makers.

The wood is used for the construction of huts (as rafters).

The leaves yield a yellow dye.