There are only six species of the genus Bauhinia which are endemic to Australia. Most of the 300 odd species are confined to the tropics. It is not found in Europe but can be found just about everywhere else. It is part of the legume family (Fabaceae) and includes shrubs, climbers and various sized trees. Characteristic of the bauhinias is the compound leaf which consists of two broad leaflets, with the inner edges often fused. The genus name honours herbalists of the 16th century, Johann and Caspar Bauhin. Johann and Caspar were identical twins. The name is very apt as the compound leaf consists of two identical lobes.
The flowers have five petals and may be borne in the leaf axils or in terminal sprays. The blooms are followed by flattened seed pods which are somewhat woody. Bauhinias are a good choice if you wish to encourage birds to visit your garden.
Bauhinia carronii or Queensland ebony grows to 10 metres and is native to north-eastern Australia. The leaves are bifoliate with leathery leaflets which may reach 30mm long. It has downy white flowers with a 5cm diameter. These occur in clusters of 2 or 3 during the dry season.
Another species that is native to north-eastern Australia is Bauhinia cunninghamii. This small tree or large shrub reaches 12 metres at maturity. It too has bifoliate leaves and has two separate leaflets rather than two lobes. The flowers appear in clusters of two or three blossoms which have a covering of fine hairs. The colour of the petals ranges from cream to pink through to magenta. It flowers in summer.
Bauhinia hookeri has the common names of mountain ebony, native ebony or pegunny. It is very similar to B.binata or B.tomentosa. B binata occurs through south-east Asia and Malaysia to coastal far northern Northern Territory and north-eastern Queensland while B.tomentosa is endemic to parts of Africa India and Sri Lanka. However botanists believe there is sufficient difference for B.hookeri to be considered a separate species. It is of medium size, growing to 12 metres and is native to north-eastern Australia. It has bifoliate leaves and attractive white flowers with contrasting red stamens. It flowers in spring.
Bauhinia malabarica comes from south-east Asia and far northern Australia. The bifoliate leaves vary from heart- to kidney-shaped. The undersides of the leaves are a blue-green. It displays flower clusters of 25 to 50mm diameter in spring. The blossoms are white to pink with fine hairs.
The bauhinias are easily cultivated in warm climates. They can be slow to grow and those species native to tropical regions do not flourish in wetter areas. They are deep-rooted trees and therefore not easy to transplant. However they will often tolerate hot exposed conditions and hard dry soils. Most do not like a shady position.
