Bauhinia variegata L.

 
  • Family : CAESALPINIACEAE
    (Pea Or Bean Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : IMLI FAMILY (ईमली फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System III) : Leguminosae
  • Subfamily : Caesalpinioideae
  • Synonym(s) : Phanera variegata (L.) Benth.
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Bauhinia variegata L.
  • Common name : Mountain Ebony, The Variegated Bauhinia, Orchid tree, Purple orchid tree
  • Vernacular name :
    • Kachnar, Khairwal, Mohota (Hindi)
    • Kempu mandara (Kannada)
    • Sigappumanch, Sigappumantharai (Tamil)
    • Kanchnamu, Mandari (Telugu)
    • Kanchano, Kachu, Borrara Thero (Oria)
    • Kanchanara (Sanskrit)
    • Chuvannamandaram, Malayakathi, Kovidaram, Mandaram, Kongu (Malayalam)
  • Habit : Tree
  • Habitat : Deciduous forests
  • Comments / notes : Often planted as an ornamental tree
  • Key identification features : Flowers in raceme, white to purplish-white; Pods glabrous.
  • Flower, Fruit : September-May
  • Collector(s) Name : S.R. Ramesh, S.B. Manohar
  • Collection Date : 26/10/1978
  • Collection Nos : KFP 3897
  • Collection Locality : B.R. Hills, Chamarajanagar district (KA)
  • Distribution :
    • Andhra Pradesh : Kurnool district, Chittoor district, Vishakapatnam district, Srikakulam district, West Godavari district
    • Kerala : All districts of Kerala
    • Odisha : Cuttack district, Mayurbhanj district
    • Tamil Nadu : Salem district, Kanchipuram (Changalpattu-CGP) district, Coimbatore district, The Nilgiri district, Chennai district, Namakkal district, Tiruvallur district, Tiruvannamalai district
    • Madhya Pradesh : Hoshangabad district
    • Sikkim : Sikkim
    • West Bengal : Bankura, Birbhum, Midnapur, Purulia
    • Himachal Pradesh : Chamba district, Shimla district
    • Arunachal Pradesh : Arunachal Pradesh
    • Meghalaya : Meghalaya
    • Assam : Assam
    • Nagaland : Nagaland
    • Delhi : Delhi
    • Uttar Pradesh : Uttar Pradesh
    • Punjab : Punjab
    • Mizoram : Mizoram
    • Manipur : Manipur
    • Tripura : Tripura
  • Native : Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Panamá, Thailand, Vietnam
  • Exotic/Native : Native
  • World Distribution : Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Panamá, Thailand, Vietnam
  • Conservation Status : Least Concern (LC)
  • Literature :
    • Pullaiah et al., 2001 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 2
    • J.L.Ellis, 1987- Flora of Nallamalais Vol. 1
    • H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1994- Flora of Orissa Vol. 1
    • R. S. Rao et al., 1986 - Flora of West Godavari District
    • R. S. Rao and S. H. Sreeramulu, 1986 - Flora of Srikakulam District
    • H. O. Saxena and M. Brahmam, 1989 - The Flora of Similipahar (Similipal), Orissa
    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.1.
    • N.P.Singh, 1988. Flora of Eastern Karnataka
    • Matthew, K.M., Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (1). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983
    • Sasidharan, N. 2011. Flowering plants of Kerala. DVD, V 2, KFRI
    • Henry, Kumari & Chithra (1983). Flora of Tamil Nadu, India vol. 1.
    • H J, Chowdhery, et al. Flora of Himachal Pradesh. Volume 1, Botanical Survey of India, 1984. Pg.: 173-174
  • Read more :
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2024). India Flora Online. http://indiafloraonline-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Bauhinia variegata. Downloaded on 19 March 2025.

Botanical Description

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Line Drawings

Field Image(s)

India Distribution

World Distribution

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