Kachnal / Mountain Ebony
Bauhinia variegata
Also known as The Variegated Bauhinia, Orchid Tree, Purple Orchid Tree
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttarakhand & more
- Flowering
- September-May
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Bauhinia variegata
- Genus
- Bauhinia
- Family
- Caesalpiniaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Deciduous forests
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Native to
- China
- Distribution
- China, India, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Himalayas, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Rajasthan, West Bengal
- Flowering & fruiting
- September-May
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (LC)
Leaf characters
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Recorded for Kachnal.
Flower & fruit characters
Typical of the Caesalpiniaceae family — flowering plants only; individual species can differ.
Local Names
- Hindi
- कचनाल Kachnal, कचनार Kachnar, kachnar
- Nepali
- कोइरालो Koiralo
- Bengali
- রক্তকাঞ্চন Raktakanchan, কাঞ্চন
- Tamil
- செம்மந்தாரை Cem-mantarai, சிவப்புமந்தாரை Civappu-mantarai, மலையாத்தி Malai-y-atti
- Telugu
- కాంచనము Kanchanamu, కంచనార
- Kannada
- ಕಾಂಚನಾರ Kanchanaara, ಕಂಚುವಾಳ Kanchuvaala, ಕೆಂಪು ಮಂದಾರ Kempu mandaara
- Malayalam
- കൊങ്ങു Konnu, കോവിദാരം Kovidaram, മന്ദാരം Mandaram
- Marathi
- कांचन Kanchan, कांचनार Kanchnar, कोविदार Kovidar, कांचन
Kachnal in India
Kachnar brings orchid-like blooms to Indian streets in late winter — कचनाल Kachnal (Hindi), செம்மந்தாரை Cem-mantarai (Tamil), కాంచనము Kanchanamu (Telugu), ಕಾಂಚನಾರ Kanchanaara (Kannada), കൊങ്ങു Konnu (Malayalam), कांचन Kanchan (Marathi). Bauhinia variegata is planted across Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Rajasthan, West Bengal as a flowering avenue and garden tree.
Uses
Its flower buds (kachnar kali) are a North Indian delicacy, cooked into sabzi and pickle, and the flowers are eaten too. The bark and buds have attributed uses in Ayurveda — described for information, not medical advice — and it is widely grown as an ornamental.
How to Identify Kachnal
A small to medium tree whose leaf is the giveaway: broad and cleft at the tip into two rounded lobes, like a camel's footprint or butterfly. The large five-petalled flowers, pink-purple to white with darker veining, resemble orchids and appear when the tree is nearly leafless.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Mountain Ebony called in different Indian languages?
- कचनाल Kachnal (Hindi); செம்மந்தாரை Cem-mantarai (Tamil); కాంచనము Kanchanamu (Telugu); ಕಾಂಚನಾರ Kanchanaara (Kannada); കൊങ്ങു Konnu (Malayalam); कांचन Kanchan (Marathi); রক্তকাঞ্চন Raktakanchan (Bengali).
- Why does the kachnar leaf look like a butterfly?
- Each leaf is deeply notched into two rounded lobes, giving a butterfly or camel-foot shape that makes the tree easy to identify.
- Can you eat kachnar flowers?
- Yes — the unopened buds (kachnar kali) and flowers are cooked into North Indian sabzi and pickles.
Caesalpiniaceae
Senna family
Kachnal belongs to the Caesalpiniaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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Common plant problems
All plant problem & care guides →More in Caesalpiniaceae
View all Caesalpiniaceae →Sources: GBIF — Bauhinia variegata (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · iNaturalist — Bauhinia variegata (regional names, India observations) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Bauhinia variegata (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)