Bauhinia praesignis

Author: Ridley

Morphological description (see also description of Genus Bauhinia ; Subgenus Phanera and Section Phanera )
Large tendrilled climber , all parts reddish-brown velvety; stems c. 2 cm diameter, young branches striate.

Leaves: stipules auriculate, glabrous inside, c. 15 mm broad; petiole stout, 4-8 cm long; lamina ovate, 18-25 by 15-20 cm, 13-15-nerved; bifid 1/3; tip of lobes acute to obtuse, base deeply cordate; upper surface glabrous; lower densely reddish-brown, woolly pubescent.

Inflorescence terminal, up to 30 cm long, rusty velvety raceme, sometimes with 1(-2) basal sidebranches; axis angulate; bracts ovate, carinate, 15-25 mm long, velvety outside, glabrous inside; bracteoles lanceolate, slightly smaller, inserted at the base of the hypanthium.

Flowers: Buds including hypanthium fusiform, velvety, 3-4.5 by 1 cm. Hypanthium campanulate, 1.5-2 cm long. Calyx splitting into (4-)5 fleshy, strap-shaped sepals. Petals white, narrowly lanceolate, 3.5-4 cm long, tapering towards the claw, reddish brown hairy outside. Stamens 3 fertile, red; filaments stout, c. 25 mm (in bud); anthers 2-2.5 cm long, narrowly ellipsoid, opening by a longitudinal slit; staminodes 2, stout, 12-14 mm long with bifid apex. Ovary c. 1 cm, stipe reddish pubescent, c. 1 cm; style thick; stigma indistinct.

Pods strap-shaped, red-velvety, c. 20 cm long (not seen).

Seeds 6-7 (not seen).

Distribution
Malesia : Southern part of the Malay Peninsula (Pahang, Negri Sembilan).

Habitat
No data available.

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