Bauhinia acuminata L., Fabaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: dwarf white bauhinia

Habit:  shrub

Description:  "Cultivated shrub to 3 m tall; young stems, petioles and inflorescence axes with sparse curled pubescence.  Stipules lance-linear, 5-12 mm long, acuminate, curled puberulent, caducous; largest colleter swollen, divergent, 1.5-2.1 mm long.  Leaves with petioles 1.5-4 cm long; blades ovate, broadly ovate or suborbicular, 5.4-11.3 (20) x 3.7-11.3 cm, divided about 1/3 their length, membranous, glabrous adaxially, densely puberulent abaxially, base cordate to rounded, apex of lobes acute.  Inflorescences axillary racemes, 2.5-5.8 cm long; peduncles negligible; bracts and bracteoles lance-linear, 3-9 mm long, puberulent, especially on margins, caducous.  Flowers with pedicel 6-12 mm long; hypanthium 5-9 mm long; calyx limb spathaceous, 28-37 mm long, with few scattered hairs abaxially, apex of 5 spidery lobes 1.7-4.1 mm long; petals not clawed, elliptic to oblanceolate, 39-49 (60) x 20-25 (30) mm, glabrous, white; fertile stamens 10, filaments strigose at base; ovary stipitate, strigose on sutures, stigma peltate, bilobed.  Legumes linear, 7.5-15 x 1.7-1.8 cm, glabrous, brown; seeds suborbicular, ca. 10 mm in diameter" (Howard, 1988; pp. 380, 382).

Habitat/ecology:  Full sun to partial shade, average water needs, soil pH 5.6-6.5 (mildly acidic to acidic) (Dave's Garden).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Southeast Asia, possibly the Philippines (GRIN). "A native of SE Asia and perhaps also wild in parts of Malesia, widely cultivated throughout the tropics" (Verdcourt, 1979; p. 114).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 95)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1949) (voucher ID: BISH 153088) Taxon name on voucher: Bauhinia acuminata L.
Palau Palau (main island group)	Koror Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (p. 79)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	probably native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands	introduced cultivated	Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. (1988) (p. 50)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced	Waterhouse, Barbara (year unknown)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	probably native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Japan Ryukyu Islands	Ryukyu Islands	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	probably native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Mauritius Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)	Mauritius Island	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)

Comments:  Naturalizing on the Cape York Peninsula, Australia (Barbara Waterhouse, pers. com.).

Additional information:  Additional online information about Bauhinia acuminata is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Taxonomic information about Bauhinia acuminata may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1949. Voucher specimen #BISH 153088 (Glassman, S.F. 2838).

Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce. 1979. A geographical checklist of the Micronesian dicotyledonae. Micronesica 15:1-295.

Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. 1988. Flora of the Solomon Islands. Research Bulletin No. 7. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Honiara. 203 pp.

Howard, Richard A. 1988. Flora of the Lesser Antilles: Leeward and Windward Islands. Vol. 4, Dicotyledoneae-Part 1. Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University. 673 pp.

ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre. 2005. International Legume Database & Information Service. Online searchable database.

Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar. 2003. Report to the Republic of Palau on invasive plant species of environmental concern. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 174 pp.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2007. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Verdcourt, B. 1979. A Manual of New Guinea Legumes. Office of Forests, Lae, PNG.

Waterhouse, Barbara. 0. Barbara Waterhouse, pers. com.