Author: Henderson
Morphological description (see also description of Genus Bauhinia ; Subgenus Phanera and Section Palmatifolia )
(decumbens Bauh Reinw f23 )
Low, scrambling, tendrilled climber ; young shoots and tendrils densely appressed reddish pubescent, later glabrous; young stems grooved, lenticellate.
Leaves: stipules ovate to subrotundate, 3-4 mm across, reddish tomentose, up to 3.5 cm; lamina coriaceous, subrotundate, 4-6.5 cm across, bifid 1/3 with broad, triangular sinus; lobes triangular, acute; base deeply cordate; nerves 9-11; upper surface glabrous except for fine lightbrown pubescence on the nerves; lower densely coppery-red pubescent; margins often greyish pubescent.
Inflorescence lateral and terminal corymbs; all parts appressed, coppery pubescent; pedicels 2-3.5 cm; bracts linear, c. 2 mm long; bracteoles minute, inserted about the middle of the pedicel or above.
Flowers: Buds globose, apiculate. Hypanthium narrowly tubular, 1-1.3 cm, finely striate. Calyx splitting into 2-3 more or less reflexed keeled lobes. Petals yellow turning red, unequal, subrotundate to broadly ovate, with undulate margin, c. 1 cm long, the median one only 6 mm, outside densely reddish silky hairy; claw short but distinct. Stamens 3 fertile; filaments thickened towards the base, reddish hairy, c. 5 mm, glabrous in upper part; anthers c. 2 mm across, opening by a large, oblong pore; staminodes minute, 1-2 (or 0). Ovary 3-4 mm, shortly stiped, densely coppery hairy; style 4-5 mm, hairy; stigma small, peltate.
Pods unknown.
Distribution
Malesia: Malay Peninsula (Pahang, Gunong Senyum).
Habitat
The only known collection is from the open top of a limestone hill where it was found scrambling over rocks.