Bauhinia bowkeri flowers

The flowers of Bauhinia bowkeri grow in clusters of two to six at stem-tips. The slender buds are enveloped by calyces that turn brown as they age. The white petals are only slightly crinkly or wavy. Each sweetly fragrant flower has two whorls of five stamens each and a style with greenish stigma. Flowering happens from before midspring to early summer.

The long, slender, flat pods follow late in summer and autumn. Pod dimensions are about 14 cm long and 2 cm wide.

The about 300 species of Bauhinia grow in many places on earth. The genus was already described by Linnaeus in 1753. Several bauhinias have attracted peoples attention sufficiently to become garden plants (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Pooley, 1993; www.plantzafrica.com).