Author: (de Wit) Cusset
Morphological description (see also description of Genus Bauhinia ; Subgenus Phanera and Section Palmatifolia )
Large, tendrilled climber; all young parts glabrous; young branches terete, not striate.
Leaves: stipules early caducous (not observed); petioles slender, 0.5-2 cm; lamina coriaceous, entire, ovate-elliptic, 7-8 by 4-5 cm; apex acute to acuminate; base shallowly cordate to rounded; both surfaces glabrous, dull; nerves 5-7.
Inflorescence terminal or lateral, slender racemes, sometimes aggregate forming compressed, leafy panicles up to 25 cm long; axis terete, glabrous; pedicels first greyish-brown silky pubescent, later glabrous, 6-9.5 cm; bracts and bracteoles early caducous (not seen); bracteoles not opposite, inserted about the middle of the pedicel.
Flowers: Buds subglobose, apiculate, strongly ribbed, c. 8 mm across, sparsely pubescent, soon glabrous. Hypanthium broad tubular, strongly ribbed, 5-8 mm long, glabrescent. Calyx splitting into 2-3 more or less reflexed lobes. Petals unequal-sided, suborbicular with crenate-undulate margin, outside densely rusty pubescent, c. 2.5 cm including the 5 mm claw. Fertile stamens 2(-3); filaments fleshy, glabrous, c. 10 mm; anthers ellipsoid, opening by a large central pore in each theca; staminodes about 7-10, fleshy, glabrous, up to 6 mm. Ovary glabrous, c. 7 mm, on a c. 5 mm long glabrous stipe; style glabrous, 2-3 mm; stigma peltate.
Pods unknown.
Distribution
Malesia: Sumatra, so far only known from Mt Ketiduran, Jambi.
Habitat
Collected at 140 m altitude
Note
This remarkable species is only known from the type collection. It is related to Bauhinia lucida , which has not been collected on Sumatra but does occur on Siberut Island, W of Sumatra. It has larger inflorescences, larger buds and longer pedicels.