Bauhinia natalensis

Bauhinia natalensis grows small leaves that are deeply two-lobed with veins running across the lobe surfaces from the base. The lobes are positioned obliquely, shaped ovate-oblong to obovate. Leaf stalks are up to 1,5 cm long.

The usually solitary white flowers have obovate petals, sometimes pink or red-veined across the corolla. It is up to 4 cm in diameter. Blooming occurs more during the hotter months, but some flowers are seen all year round.

A small brown pod that bursts open when dry, carries the seeds. It becomes 7 cm long and 1 cm wide.

The species distribution is in the south of KwaZulu-Natal and the northeast of the Eastern Cape.

The habitat is valley bushveld or scrub. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Coates Palgrave, 2002; http://redlist.sanbi.org).