Bauhinia

Bauhinia, a genus of Leguminosæ, sub-order Cæsalpineæ. The leaves are generally divided into two lobes, which led Plumier to name this genus in memory of the united labours of the brothers John and Caspar Bauhin, two botanists of the early part of the 17th century. The species are natives of the warmer regions of both hemispheres, and some of them are remarkable for the size and beauty of their flowers. Most of them are twining plants, or lianas, stretching from tree to tree in the tropical forests, such as B. vahlii, the Maloo Climber of India, which may attain a length of 300 feet, at once smothering the highest tree-tops and strangling the stems below; but some are small trees, as B. porrecta, the Mountain Ebony of Jamaica, so called from the colour of its wood. The inner bark of several East Indian species is employed for making ropes; that of the Maloo Climber being employed for making suspension bridges on account of its extreme toughness. B. retusa and B. emarginata, also East Indian, exude a brownish coloured mild gum; whilst the astringent bark of B. variegata is used in Malabar for tanning and dyeing leather, and also in medicine; it also yields an ebony. The leaves of various species are used in Brazil as demulcent medicines, having mucilaginous properties.—Livingstone mentions a species of bauhinia in South Africa, called the Mopanè Tree. It is remarkable for the little shade which its leaves afford. They fold together, and stand nearly erect during the heat of the day. On them the larvae of a species of Psylla cause a saccharine secretion, in circular patches, beneath which the pupa of the insect is found. The natives scrape it off, and eat it as a dainty.