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butterfly tree, mountain ebony, orchid tree, purple orchid tree

white orchid tree

Habit Trees, to 15 m.
Branches

pubescent or glabrescent.

Leaves

unifoliolate;

stipules broadly lanceolate, 1–2 mm;

petiole 3–4 cm, glabrous;

blade broadly ovate to suborbiculate, 60–160 × 60–160 mm, 2-lobate 1/4–1/3 length, base cordate, 11–13-veined, apex of each lobe rounded, surfaces sparsely puberulous abaxially, glaucous, glabrous adaxially.

Racemes

3–8-flowered; mostly subterminal;

bract and bracteoles triangular, minute.

Pedicels

0.5 cm.

Flowers

buds fusiform, 3–4 mm;

hypanthium tubular, 15 mm;

petals white or purple, obovate, subequal, 40–55 mm;

fertile stamens 5;

filaments shortly connate basally with staminodes, 20–40 mm;

anthers 7 mm;

staminodes 1–5, 2–3 mm;

gynoecium arcuate, nearly equaling stamens;

ovary pubescent (mainly on sutures), style and gynophore glabrous;

stigma capitate.

Legumes

stipe 15 mm;

linear, 200–300 × 20–25 mm.

Seeds

10–25, brown, subglobose, 1–15 × 15 mm;

funicular aril lobes subequal, 1 mm.

Bauhinia variegata

Bauhinia aculeata

Phenology Flowering fall.
Habitat introduced also in tropical areas worldwide..
Elevation 0–50 m. [0–160 ft.]
Distribution
map from FNA
FL; Asia [Introduced in North America; introduced also in tropical areas worldwide]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies [Introduced, Florida]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Bauhinia variegata is widely cultivated worldwide and is often naturalized, as in southern Florida. It is listed as a Category I invasive species by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Subspecies 2 (1 in the flora).

Bauhinia aculeata consists of two subspecies. The typical subspecies, to which our material is referred, naturally occurs 0–1700 m in open, tropical deciduous forests. Subspecies grandiflora (Jussieu) Wunderlin, which occurs in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru, is distinguished by larger leaves (to 120 mm) and by flowers with a conspicuously elongated hypanthium (10–)20–50(–80) mm.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Cercidoideae > Bauhinia Fabaceae > subfam. Cercidoideae > Bauhinia
Sibling taxa
B. aculeata, B. lunarioides, B. purpurea
B. lunarioides, B. purpurea, B. variegata
Subordinate taxa
B. aculeata subsp. aculeata
Synonyms B. candida, B. variegata var. alboflava, B. variegata var. candida, Phanera variegata
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 375. (1753) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 374. (1753)
Source FNA vol. 11. Treatment author: Richard P. Wunderlin. FNA vol. 11. Treatment author: Richard P. Wunderlin.
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