Bauhinia bassacensis Pierre ex Gagnep. var. bassacensis
Morphological description
Large tendrilled climber; young branches rusty tomentose, later glabrous.
Leaves: stipules auriculate, up to 6 mm diameter, caducous; petioles glabrescent, 2-7 cm; lamina ovate, up to 19 by 13 cm, 9-13-nerved; bifid 1/2- 2/3 with narrow sinus; tip of lobes triangular obtuse to acuminate; base cordate to truncate; upper surface glabrous, lower brownish tomentose to glabrescent.
Inflorescence: lateral or terminal, many-flowered, broad racemes or panicles; axis rusty tomentose to glabrescent; pedicels up to 7 cm; bracts linear-lanceolate, tomentose, up to 8 mm; bracteoles similar but smaller, inserted near the middle of the pedicel; pedicels up to 7 cm.
Flowers: Buds ovoid-ellipsoid, brownish tomentose, c. 7 mm. Hypanthium c. 1 mm. Calyx during anthesis splitting into 2 segments forming right angles with the pedicels, 5-8 mm long. Petals pubescent, yellowish-green, sometimes two of them purple-blotched at tip, subequal, blade deltoid, narrowly ovate to suborbicular with crenulate margin, 10 by 7 mm; claw 10-25 mm long. Fertile stamens 2 (rarely 3), filaments c. 2 cm, pubescent; anthers 1-2 mm; reduced stamens 7, 3-9 mm long; staminode 1, short, filiform, between the stamens. Ovary stipitate, brownish pilose; style 7-10 mm, glabrous towards the small stigma.
Pods glabrescent, smooth; 9 by 3 cm.
Seeds 3-5, flattened, orbicular, c. 1 cm diameter.
Distribution
Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and northern peninsular Malaysia (Kedah, Kelantan).
Habitat
Common liana in evergreen and mixed deciduous forests.