Bauhinia purpurea is a small to medium-size
deciduous tree growing to tall. The
leaves are alternate, long and broad, rounded, and bilobed at the base and apex. The
flowers are conspicuous, pink, and fragrant, with five petals. The
fruit is a
pod measuring long, containing 12 to 16
seeds. As a diploid species with 28 chromosomes, sequencing of the 304MB
B. purpurea genome was used to demonstrate it is the maternal ancestor of the hybrid
Hong Kong Bauhinia (Bauhinia x blakeana).
Chemistry A wide range of chemical compounds have been isolated from
Bauhinia purpurea including 5,6-dihydroxy-7-methoxyflavone 6-
O-β-D-xylopyranoside, bis [3',4'-dihydroxy-6-methoxy-7,8-furano-5',6'-mono-methylalloxy]-5-
C-5-biflavonyl and (4'-hydroxy-7-methyl 3-
C-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl)-5-
C-5-(4'-hydroxy-7-methyl-3-
C-α-D-glucopyranosyl) bioflavonoid,
bibenzyls,
dibenzoxepins, mixture of
phytol fatty esters,
lutein,
β-sitosterol,
isoquercitin and
astragalin. ==Distribution and habitat==