Bauhinia tomentosa

Bauhinia tomentosa, also known as yellow bauhinia^[2] or yellow bell orchid tree, is a species of plant in the family Fabaceae. It is found in South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Tropical Africa, India, and Sri Lanka.^[3]

Bauhinia tomentosa
Flowers of yellow bauhinia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Genus:	Bauhinia
Species:	B. tomentosa
Binomial name
Bauhinia tomentosa L.
Synonyms[1]
Alvesia bauhinioides Welw. Alvesia tomentosa (L.) Britton & Rose Bauhinia pubescens DC. Bauhinia tomentosa var. glabrata Hook. f. Bauhinia volkensii Taub. Bauhinia wituensis Harms Pauletia tomentosa (L.) A.Schmitz

yellow bell orchid tree leaves

Yellow bauhinia

Description

Yellow bauhinia is a small tree with a maximum height of 4 m (13 ft).^[4] It has drooping slender branches with multiple scrambling stems. The bark is greyish, smooth, and sometimes hairy, which gives its specific name tomentosa. Greenish leaves are deeply divided and elliptic in nature; margin entire. Flowers are bell-shaped with large, yellow petals with a dark maroon patch at the base. The fruit is a pale-brown pod.^[5] Extracts of the plant's roots have in vitro antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria.^[6][7]