Overview

Bauhinia is a shrub or small tree climber wall shrub in the genus Bauhinia, part of the Fabaceae family, with deciduous, lobed, camel's foot-shaped foliage. Bauhinia grows best in full sun, and tolerates loam soils and neutral pH. Its UK hardiness is rated H4. Suggested uses include specimen tree and ornamental. It is native to Algeria, Angola, Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Assam, Bangladesh, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Borneo, Botswana, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Burkina, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Provinces, Caprivi Strip, Cayman Is., Chad, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Colombia, Comoros, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, DR Congo, East Himalaya, Ecuador, El Salvador, Eswatini, Ethiopia, French Guiana, Galápagos, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Hainan, Haiti, Honduras, India, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Jawa, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Laos, Leeward Is., Lesser Sunda Is., Madagascar, Malawi, Malaya, Mali, Maluku, Mauritania, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Northern Provinces, Northern Territory, Pakistan, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Queensland, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Southwest Caribbean, Sri Lanka, Sudan-South Sudan, Sumatera, Suriname, Taiwan, Tanzania, Texas, Thailand, Tibet, Togo, Trinidad-Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Himalaya, Western Australia, Windward Is., Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

About

Bauhinia, commonly called mountain ebony, is a member of the pea family (Fabaceae) grown as a shrub or small tree. It bears distinctive deciduous, lobed, camel's foot-shaped leaves and flowers in summer from July to September. Plant it in full sun on a neutral loam with good drainage and give a sheltered, south-facing aspect; it carries an H4 hardiness rating (average) for the UK. It is typically used as a specimen tree or ornamental.

About the genus

Bauhinia is a large genus of flowering plants in the subfamily Cercidoideae and tribe Bauhinieae, in the large flowering plant family Fabaceae, with a pantropical distribution. The genus was named after the Bauhin brothers Gaspard and Johann, Swiss-French botanists.

Wikipedia contributors, "Bauhinia", CC BY-SA 4.0 — Bauhinia

In the garden

Bauhinia (mountain ebony) is a genus in the Fabaceae family cultivated as a shrub or small tree with a wide native range across tropical Africa, Asia, Australasia and the Americas. In gardens its most obvious features are the palmately lobed, camel’s foot-shaped leaves and a summer flowering display that runs from July to September. For best results choose a sunny, south-facing site in neutral loam that drains freely and is sheltered from prevailing winds. The plant prefers full sun and a sheltered exposure; soil should be neither waterlogged nor strongly acidic. In UK terms H4 denotes average hardiness, so select a protected spot or a warm wall in cooler districts to avoid winter damage in exposed positions. Use Bauhinia as a single specimen where its habit and summer blooms can be appreciated, or train it against a wall to give height without occupying much ground. Given its deciduous nature expect leaf drop in winter followed by a clear outline of branches, then the seasonal return of foliage and flowers from July to September, which is the period to plan for its visual impact.

Growing conditions

Best soil and position for Bauhinia

Sunlight

Full sun

Soil type

Loam

Soil pH

Neutral

Soil moisture

Well-drained

Aspect

South-facing

Exposure

Sheltered

UK hardiness

H4

Plant details

Bauhinia size, habit and characteristics

Plant type

Climber Wall Shrub

Habit

Shrub or small tree

Foliage

Deciduous, lobed, camel's foot-shaped

Suggested uses

Specimen tree, ornamental

Native to

Algeria, Angola, Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Assam, Bangladesh, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Borneo, Botswana, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Burkina, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Provinces, Caprivi Strip, Cayman Is., Chad, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Colombia, Comoros, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, DR Congo, East Himalaya, Ecuador, El Salvador, Eswatini, Ethiopia, French Guiana, Galápagos, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Hainan, Haiti, Honduras, India, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Jawa, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Laos, Leeward Is., Lesser Sunda Is., Madagascar, Malawi, Malaya, Mali, Maluku, Mauritania, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Northern Provinces, Northern Territory, Pakistan, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Queensland, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Southwest Caribbean, Sri Lanka, Sudan-South Sudan, Sumatera, Suriname, Taiwan, Tanzania, Texas, Thailand, Tibet, Togo, Trinidad-Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Himalaya, Western Australia, Windward Is., Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Care notes

Pruning and caring for Bauhinia

Propagation

Seed, semi-ripe cuttings

Pest resistance

Generally pest-resistant

Disease resistance

Generally disease-resistant

Frequently asked questions