Bauhinia racemosa seed
LATIN NAME: Bauhinia racemosa
COMMON NAME: Bidi Leaf Tree, White Orchid Tree, Mountain Ebony
The bidi leaf tree is a small and sacred tree of the warm lands, and its curious, two-lobed leaves and its clusters of white bloom have been known and used in the East for a very long time. It grows as a small, crooked tree with drooping branches, reaching three to five metres tall, with the characteristic, two-lobed, butterfly-like leaves of the orchid trees and, in the warm season, the clusters of many small, creamy-white, five-petalled flowers, followed by the flattened, bean-like pods of many seeds. It is a rare, medicinal species of flowering shrub with religious significance, a member of the bean family, and it is known as the bidi leaf tree, since its leaves have been used in the rolling of the leaf cigarettes of the East, while it is also known as the white orchid tree or the mountain ebony.
The bidi leaf tree belongs to the bean family, Fabaceae, and it is a rare, medicinal species of flowering shrub with religious significance. It is a small, crooked tree with drooping branches that grows three to five metres tall, and it is commonly known as the bidi leaf tree, while it is also known as the white orchid tree and the mountain ebony.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The bidi leaf tree has a genuine and growing place in both pharmacological and botanical research. It has been studied in chemistry and pharmacology, since the plant is a medicinal species, and researchers have examined the content of the bark, the leaves and the other parts of the tree, identifying the tannins and the other bioactive compounds, and examining their potential biological activity, which has made the tree of continuing interest in the natural product research, while its traditional uses in the medicine of the East continue to guide the modern studies. The tree has also been studied in botany, since it is a member of the bean family and a relative of the celebrated orchid trees, and researchers have examined its classification and its relationships, while the remarkable two-lobed leaves of the genus, which give the orchid trees their name, have been studied, and the biology of the genus has been examined. The species has also been studied in ecology and in the history of the land, since it is a tree of the warm lands, and its uses and its role in the landscape have been examined, while its leaves have been used in the traditional rolling of the leaf cigarettes of the East. For a tree of such use and such significance, the bidi leaf tree has a rich and growing record of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ecologically, the bidi leaf tree is a small and sacred tree of the warm lands. Its white flowers feed the bees and the insects, and its flat pods and seeds feed the birds and the small animals, while it is a presence in the groves and the waysides of the East, with a religious significance.
Its economic value is real. The leaves have been used in the traditional rolling of the leaf cigarettes of the East, and the bark and the other parts of the tree have a long history of use in the medicine of the region, while the study of its chemistry has drawn attention in the international botanical and natural product press, and the tree is also a small, handsome ornamental of the warm garden. For a grower, the bidi leaf tree is a fascinating and sacred tree, and for a gardener in a warm region it brings two-lobed leaves and clusters of white bloom. The seeds are easy — nick them lightly, then soak them in warm water overnight, and sow them in a pot of moist, free-draining compost in a warm, sunny spot, and they’ll sprout within a few weeks, growing on into a small, sacred, white-flowered tree.
Scientific Name-Bauhinia Racemosa
Family-Leguminosae
Subfamily-Caesalpinioideae
Description-Slow growing, small to moderate sized deciduous tree
These trees are easy to maintain, and make an excellent patio container plant. This is a small flowering tree; it produces stunning orchid like white flowers throughout the spring and summer they are also lovely specimen trees, even when not in flower, the shrub has attractive lobed leaves characteristic of all Bauhinia species. If you prune them their first few years so the canopy is properly shaped. Many bauhinia will flower within a year from seed, and most within 2 years.
Flowers of bauhinia do resemble those of orchids, and are the main attraction. Bauhinia has several advantages for the gardener or landscaper. They are small sized tree, so controlling their size is easy to do. They even make great potential bonsai plants, and do have a bit of an Oriental flair to them, at least in tree shape. A beautiful canopy that can be controlled in height is always a plus.
Grow Bauhinia from Seed
Bauhinia seeds are usually flat and hard. They begin to germinate on their own. Germination can speed up with soaking in water over night or for faster germination using a set of nail clippers and very gently clipping one corner of the long top of one seed, just removing enough of the outer shell covering to expose the greenish white seed beneath. Then soak them in a shallow bowl of water overnight, enough to see them slightly swell. You can then place them on dampened paper towels, beside each other, and place in a plastic baggie under the sink or some other dark place. Check daily for germination. This is when you will see on one end, a little sprout. It can take anywhere from 3 days to 6 weeks. Now they are ready to plant in a moist well drained soil.