Bauhinia purpurea L. | |
Fabaceae | |
Mantharai | |
| Botanical Name | Bauhinia purpurea L. |
| Synonyms | Bauhinia castrata Blanco; Phanera purpurea (L.) Benth. |
| Family | Fabaceae |
| Common Name | English : Purple orchid tree / Tamil : Nilattiruvatti, Mantharai |
| Distribution | Global : Africa, Europe, South America and in Tropical Asia Indian : Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu |
| Description | Medium size deciducous tree up to 8 m tall; bark smooth and fibrous. Leaves bilobed, obcordate, alternate, deeply divided, petiole long, slender, pulvinus, leaf margin entire, intercostae reticulate, prominent. Inflorescence terminal or axillary raceme. Flowers conspicuous, complete, bisexual, fragrant, calyx 5, lanceolate, Petals 5, polysepalous, pink; stamens 10, equal, style long single, ovary superior, monolocular. Fruit pod, flat bean like, woody, coils after splitting, seeds 12-16 per pod. |
| Flowering Fruiting period | September - February / January - April |
| Uses | Planted as Ornamental, Used as Fuel Wood and Tannimg |
| Medicinal Uses | This plant has been known to possess antibacterial, antidiabetic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-diarrheal, anticancer, nephroprotective and thyroid hormone regulating activity. |
| Tamil Name | Mantharai |