Kathmauli / Indian Kanchan
Bauhinia racemosa
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka & more
- Flowering
- April-January
How to identify Kathmauli
Identify Kathmauli by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a tree habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Flowers in long racemes.
- Confirm leaf type: Bilobed (two leaflets, often butterfly-shaped).
- Confirm leaf shape: Orbicular.
- Confirm flower colour: White.
- Confirm flower arrangement: Raceme.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: April-January.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Bauhinia racemosa
- Genus
- Bauhinia
- Family
- Caesalpiniaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Dry and moist deciduous forests
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Native to
- India, Sri Lanka
- Distribution
- India, Sri Lanka, China, Malay Islands
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Puducherry
- Flowering & fruiting
- April-January
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf type
- Bilobed (two leaflets, often butterfly-shaped)recorded
- Leaf shape
- OrbicularrecordedRounded, roughly circular.“A cleft divides each leaf into two rounded globes.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kathmauli itself; the rest are typical of the Caesalpiniaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded
- Flower arrangement
- RacemerecordedIndividual stalked flowers arranged along a central stem, opening from bottom to top.“The flowers appear in terminal racemes, measuring 5 to 12.5 cm in length.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Raceme
- Fruit
- Legume
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kathmauli itself; the rest are typical of the Caesalpiniaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- कठमूली Kathmauli, झिंझेरी Jhinjheri,कठमूली kathamuli
- Bengali
- Banraji, বনরাজ Banraj
- Tamil
- ஆத்தி Atti, தாதகி Tataki, ஆத்தி
- Telugu
- తెల్ల ఆరెచెట్టు Tella arecettu, తెల్ల ఆరెచెట్టు, అడివిఅవిశ
- Kannada
- ಅಪ್ತಾ Aapta, ಅರಳುಕದುಮನ್ದರ Aralukadumandara, ಬಸವನಪಾದ
- Malayalam
- അരംപാലി Arampaali, കുടബുളി Kutabuli, മലയത്തി Malayaththi, മലയത്തി
- Marathi
- आपटा Aapta, सोना Sona, आपटा
About Kathmauli
Indian Kanchan (Bauhinia racemosa) belongs to the Caesalpiniaceae family, where it grows as a tree. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka and 14 other states. It grows in dry and moist deciduous forests. Flowering and fruiting run from April to January.
Caesalpiniaceae
Senna family
Kathmauli belongs to the Caesalpiniaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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Common plant problems
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