Bauhinia tomentosa L.

 
  • Family : CAESALPINIACEAE
    (Pea Or Bean Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : IMLI FAMILY (ईमली फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System IV) : Leguminosae
  • Subfamily : Caesalpinioideae
  • Synonym(s) : Alvesia tomentosa (L.) Britton & Rose; Cansenia tomentosa (L.) Raf.; Pauletia tomentosa (L.) A.Schmitz; Alvesia bauhinioides Welw.; Bauhinia binata Náves ex Fern.-Vill.; Bauhinia inermis Forssk.; Bauhinia mucora Bolle; Bauhinia pubescens DC.; Bauhinia speciosa Roxb. ex Wall.; Bauhinia tomentosa var. candida Voigt; Bauhinia tomentosa var. glabrata Hook.f.; Bauhinia volkensii Taub.; Bauhinia wituensis Harms; Phyllolobium zanzibarense Bojer ex G.Don
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Bauhinia tomentosa L.
  • Common name : Burmese Silk Orchid Tree, Yellow Orchid Bauhinia, St. Thomas Tree, Yellow Bell Bauhinia
  • Vernacular name :
    • Kanchnar (Hindi)
    • Mani mandara (Kannada)
    • Athi, Kanchini (Sanskrit)
    • Kaanchini, Kanchini (Tamil)
    • Mandaramu, Kanchini (Telugu)
    • Phalgu (Sanskrit)
    • Manjamanaram, Kanchanapoovu, Kanjenapoovu, Kanjanam, Kanchanamaram (Malayalam)
  • Habit : Shrub or Tree
  • Habitat : Occasional along river banks
  • Comments / notes : Cultivated for its fragrant flowers
  • Flower, Fruit : Throughout the year
  • Collector(s) Name : Mary K.P
  • Collection Date : 08/10/1975
  • Collection Nos : SJC 3
  • Collection Locality : Bangalore
  • Distribution :
    • Andhra Pradesh : Kurnool district, East Godavari district
    • Karnataka : Kolar district, Bengaluru Urban district, Bengaluru Rural district
    • Kerala : All districts of Kerala
    • Odisha : Ganjam district, Puri district, Khordha district
    • Tamil Nadu : Vellore district, Tiruvannamalai district, Dharmapuri district, Villipuram district, Cuddalore district
    • Jharkhand :
    • West Bengal : West Bengal
    • Uttar Pradesh : Uttar Pradesh
  • Native : Angola, Burundi, Cape Provinces, Ethiopia, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Malawi, Mozambique, Northern Provinces, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Yemen, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe
  • Exotic/Native : Exotic
  • World Distribution : Angola, Burundi, Cape Provinces, Ethiopia, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Malawi, Mozambique, Northern Provinces, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Yemen, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe
  • Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
  • Literature :
    • Pullaiah et al., 2001 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 2
    • J.L.Ellis, 1987- Flora of Nallamalais Vol. 1
    • H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1994- Flora of Orissa Vol. 1
    • N.P.Singh, 1988. Flora of Eastern Karnataka
    • Matthew, K.M., Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (1). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983
    • Sasidharan, N. 2011. Flowering plants of Kerala. DVD, V 2, KFRI
    • Henry, Kumari & Chithra (1983). Flora of Tamil Nadu, India vol. 1.
    • Indigenous Plants at Biodiversity Park, Ranchi - Ranchi Afforestation Division, Forest and Environmental Department, Jharkhand
  • Read more :
  • Permalink : https://indiatrees-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Bauhinia tomentosa
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2026). India Trees and Vegetation Types. Bauhinia tomentosa. Downloaded on 4 October 2026.

Botanical Description

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Line Drawings

Field Image(s)

Distribution District wise

India Distribution

World Distribution

GBIF Distribution
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