Bauhinia purpurea Fabaceae - World Agroforestry Centre

Bauhinia purpurea 

khairwal, karar, kachan 

LOCAL NAMES 

English (purple bauhinia,orchid tree,camel's foot tree,butterfly 

tree,geranium tree); Hindi (kota,raktakanchan,khairwal,karar,kanchan); 

Malay (tapak kuda); Nepali (tanki); Spanish (pie de cabra); Thai 

(sieowaan,sieo dok daeng); Trade name (kachan,karar,khairwal); 

Vietnamese (m[os]ng b[of] t[is]m) 

BOTANIC DESCRIPTION 

Bauhinia purpurea is a small to medium-sized deciduous fast-growing 

shrub or tree with a round, symmetrical, moderate dense crown to 10 m 

tall, young branches becoming glabrous or nearly so (glabrescent). In dry 

forests, the size is much smaller. The bark is pale grey brown, fairly 

smooth to slightly fissured and scaly. The twigs are slender, light green, 

slightly hairy, and angled, becoming brownish grey. The heart-wood is 

brown, hard and durable. 

Leaves simple, alternate, base rounded to shallow-cordate, up to 12 cm x 

12 cm, deeply 2-lobed at apex up to 1/3-1/2, ca. 7-12 cm long, and equally 

wide, margin entire and the surfaces smooth and glabrous, and 9- or 11nerved 

at base, the apex lobes rounded or obtuse to subacute, minute 

stipules 1-2 mm long, petioles puberulous to glabrous, 2.5-3.5 cm long; 

leaf blades 4.5-11 cm long. 

Inflorescence a 6-10-flowered raceme in terminal panicles; flowers 

numerous, hypanthium, turbinate, purple to nearly white or at least purplemarked, 

the flower buds clavate (club-shaped), velvety, ca 3-4 cm long 

prior to anthesis; fertile stamens 3 or 4, the anthers ca 6 mm long, 

versatile; ovary superior; corolla of 5 narrow petals and constricted at 

base, oblanceolate, 3-5cm long, claws 5-10mm long, the banner purplestriate, 

ca 7 mm wide; calyx tubular, erupted by corolla along one side 

when flower fully expanding; calyx split into 2 valves with 5 teeth. In fall, 

before the leaves drop, Orchid-Tree is festooned with many showy and 

delightfully fragrant, five-inch-wide blossoms, the narrow purple, pink, and 

lavender petals arranged to closely resemble an orchid. These flowers 

appear on the trees from September through November and are a 

beautiful sight to see, creating a vivid splash of color in the autumn 

landscape. The flowers are followed by 12-inch-long, slender, brown, flat 

seed pods which usually persist on the tree throughout the winter. 

Fruit brown, strap-shaped, not septate, elongated dehiscent pods, ca. 15- 

30 cm long, up to 1.5-2.5 cm wide, containing 10-15- shiny-brown, 

glabrous, dehiscent, rounded, flat seeds; twists as opens. Seed forms very 

rapidly and trees in flower may already show numerous green pods. While 

most pods will open in the drier winter weather some may persist through 

to the next flowering season. Fruit maturing in spring and summer. Fruit 

does not attract wildlife. 

Seeds orbicular, 13-16mm in diameter, 1-2mm thick. 

The generic name commemorates the Bauhin brothers Jean (1541-1613) 

and Gaspard (1560-1624), Swiss botanists. The two lobes of the leaf 

exemplify the two brothers. The specific name refers to the purple colour 

of the flowers. 

There are about 300 species of this genus found in tropical regions. The 

genus includes trees, vines, and shrubs that are frequently planted for 

their showy flowers and ornamental foliage. There is a presence of 

stomata on the seeds and pods. 

BIOLOGY 

In its natural habitat in Australia, china, India, Phillipines, the tree is 

deciduous. Flowering from September to November occuring when the 

plant is leafless. Tree starts flowering at a very early age of 2-3 years and 

yields viable seed. The seed ripens between February and May, with a 

tendency to be later in the West than in the East. The seeds disperse from 

the pods and germinate on sites with favourable light and moisture 

Agroforestry Database 4.0 (Orwa et al.2009) 

L. 

Fabaceae - Caesalpinioideae 

fruit (David Lee, Professor and Chairperson. 

Department of Biological Sciences, Florida 

International Unive) 

flowers (David Lee, Professor and 

Chairperson. Department of Biological 

Sciences, Florida International Unive) 

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conditions, while in unfavourable niches the radicle dries up or is 

destroyed by birds. The pods should be collected when they are brown 

before they dehisce. The seeds are extracted by drying the pods in the 

sun to release seeds). 


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ECOLOGY 

B. purpurea is a plant of tropical and subtropical climates usually found in most types of vegetation ranging from 

evergreen lowland rain forest to mountain forest and savanna, scrub and dry deciduous forest to swamp foreston various 

soils. It occurs at lower elevations especially frequent along the valleys in its native habitat. It demands plenty of light and 

requires good drainage. Severe frost kills the leaves of seedlings and saplings, but they recover during summer. The 

species is frost-hardy but least drought-hardy compared to other species of Bauhinia. The tree actually flower best on dry 

soils. 

BIOPHYSICAL LIMITS 

Altitude: 500 - 2000(-3000) m 

Mean annual temperature: 12 - 21ºC 

Mean annual rainfall: 1000 - 5000 mm 

Soil type: Grow on a variety of sandy, loamy and gravelly soils in full sun in fertile, moisture-retentive but well-drained 

soils. 

DOCUMENTED SPECIES DISTRIBUTION 

Native: 

Exotic: 

Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri 

Lanka, Taiwan, Province of China, Thailand 

Australia, Egypt, Kenya, Mauritius, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Sierra Leone, Uganda, United States 

Misc. Pacific Islands, US 

Native range 

Exotic range 

The map above shows countries where the species has been planted. It does neither 

suggest that the species can be planted in every ecological zone within that country, 

nor that the species can not be planted in other countries than those depicted. Since 

some tree species are invasive, you need to follow biosafety procedures that apply to 

your planting site. 


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The map above shows countries where the species has been planted. It does neither 

suggest that the species can be planted in every ecological zone within that country, 

nor that the species can not be planted in other countries than those depicted. Since 


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some tree species are invasive, you need to follow biosafety procedures that apply to 

your planting site. 



PRODUCTS 

Food: The young leaves and flowers of various Bauhinia species are eaten as a side dish with rice, or used to flavour 

meat and fish. Sometimes the seeds are edible. 

Fodder: In an experiment in Nepal, B.purpurea was found increase milk production in lactating buffaloes. Leaves make 

good fodder and are greedily eaten by sheep, goats and cattle with protein content estimated at 12.6%. 

Fibre: The bark of bauhinia is used to make rope and stems of smaller lianescent species are used for binding. Some 

bauhinia species are used for binding. Some bauhinia species reputed for their fibre application are used medicinally 

as well. 

Tannin or dyestuff: The bark of various bauhinia species contains considerable amounts of tanninwidely used in leather 

industry in India. Medicinal uses of bark can be largely attributed to the presence of these tannins. Flavonoids are a 

common feature of Bauhinia. 

Medicine: Throughout South-East Asia various parts of numerous Bauhinia species are used in poulticing to reduce 

swelling and bruises, and to ripen ulcerations and boils. Decoctions of various plant parts are taken internally as a 

febrifugal, antidiarrhoeal and antidysenteric remedy and also it is used as an astringent. In India, the bark is extensively 

applied in glandular diseases and as a poison antidote while the leaves are administered as cough medicine. The 

flowers are said to be laxative and used in curries and pickles. 

Lipid: The seeds contain high amounts of linolenic and oleic fatty acids (15% of a non-drying oil) and low amounts of 

myristic and linolenic fatty acids. 

Gum or resin: The tree yield edible gum. 

Fuel: Used as fuelwood; its calorific value is 4 800 kcal/kg. 

Timber: The wood is used for agricultural implements. 

Other products: B. purpurea apart from being an ornamental, is well known as the source of Bauhinia purpurea agglutin 

(BPA), a lectin with an affinity to galactose and lactose, widely applied in biochemical, immunochemical and 

histochemical studies. 

SERVICES 

Erosion control: Bauhinia purpurea with a deep root system and high root: shoot ratio may be a suitable species for 

slope stabilization. 

Ornamental: B. purpurea is widely planted as an ornamental tree in parks, gardens and homesteads, and along 

avenues for its showy fragrant, purple flowers. The weak wood is susceptible to breakage in storms; the abundant 

seedlings, which may germinate in the landscape; and the litter problem, created by the falling leaves, flowers, and 

seedpods. 


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TREE MANAGEMENT 

B. purpurea should be grown in full sun on well-drained soil. For successful establishment of Bauhinia, protection from 

grazing or browsing for the first 2-3 years is necessary, because the young saplings are much relished by animals. In 

regular plantations, the trees should be kept adequately thinned as they grow. The tree may need occasional pruning 

to develop a uniform shape when it is young. Growth rate is relatively good in lower altitudes but above 1600m, growth 

is very slow and plantation scarcely justified. The tree coppices well and can stand heavy lopping fairly well. It has 

been cultivated sporadically, generally in and around cultivation and habitations, or in mixed forests or avenue 

plantations, no systematic block plantations have been established. Branches tend to develop low on the trunk and 

droop toward the ground forming a large bush if left unpruned. The species has a tendency to show nutritional 

deficiencies, especially potassium. Trees are frost- and drought-tolerant and flower best on dry soils. The species is 

reported weedy in gardens in Hawaii. 

GERMPLASM MANAGEMENT 

Seed storage behaviour is orthodox; viability maintained for 3 years in hermetic storage at room temperature. There 

are 4000-5000 seeds/kg. About 600 to 1900 plants are raised per Kg of seed. 

PESTS AND DISEASES 

Pests: The Borers, mites and larvae of several insects feed on the plant. 

Diseases: Leaf spot and leaf scorch are the only diseases reported. The tree is said to be susceptible to two viruses 

namely Clitoria yellow vein tymovirus and Turnip rosette sobemovirus. 


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FURTHER READNG 

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Bahuguna VK and Dhawan VK. 1990. Growth performance of Dalbergia sissoo, Eucalyptus grandis, Michelia 

champaca, Grevillea robusta, Bauhinia variegata and Bauhinia purpurea for planting under social forestry program. 

Indian Forester. 116(8): 609-617. 

Balasubramaniam NK, Timm DE, et al. 1993. The lectin from Bauhinia purpurea: Effect of modification of lysine 

residues on conformation and biological properties. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 41(11): 1844-1850. 

Balogum AM & Fetuga BL. 1985. Fatty acid composition of seed oils of some members of the leguminosae family. Food 

Chemistry 17 (3): 174-182. 

Bandyopadhyay S and Thothathri K. 1996. Stomata on seed of Bauhinia purpurea L. (Leguminosae: Caesalpinioideae). 

Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 93(1): 115-116. 

Brandis D. 1984. Indian trees. BSMPS, Dehra, India. 

Corner EJH. 1988. Wayside trees of Malaya, 3rd Edition. 2 volumes. The Malayan Nature Society, Kuala Lumpur, 

Malaysia. 744p. 

El WSM, Wassel GM, et al. 1989. Effect of the alcoholic extract of Bauhinia purpurea seeds on plasma glucose and 

lipids of rats. Journal of Drug Research. 18(1-2): 53-62. 

Essien AI & Fetuga BL. 1989. Beta-carotene content and some characteristics of under-exploited seed oils of forest 

trees in Nigeria. Food Chemistry 32(2): 109-116 [Forestry Abstracts 50: 5676; 1989]. 

Francis JK & Liogier HA. 1991. Naturalized exotic tree species in Puerto Rico. Gen. Tech. Rep. SO-82. New Orleans: 

USDA Forest Service, Southern Forest Experiment Station. 12 p. 

Gupta RK, Agarwal MC, Nirmal Kumar, Kumar N, 1996. Effect of lopping intensities on growth and biomass production 

of Bauhinia purpurea L. in north-west Himalaya low hill region. Indian Forester. 122(5): 396-403. 

Gupta RK. 1992. Multipurpose trees for agroforestry and wasteland utilization. Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. PVT. Ltd. 

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SUGGESTED CITATION 

Orwa C, Mutua A , Kindt R , Jamnadass R, Simons A. 2009. Agroforestree Database:a tree reference and selection guide 

version 4.0 (http://www.worldagroforestry.org/af/treedb/) 


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Bauhinia purpurea Fabaceae - World Agroforestry Centre

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