Of all the Bauhinia’s I have seen so far, this one has very different flowers to the rest although the leaves (from which it gets its name), is the same.
A small to medium size tree which occurs in low altitudes of woodlands.
The ash from the burnt wood is soapy and the green fruits provide a soap substitute.
The bark contains a fibre which is used as string and is made into ropes.
Cattle and game eat the pods and they can be ground into a meal and is said to be equal to maize and very nutritional. However, it is essential to dry the pods first for otherwise they tend to jam the crushing machines.
All the parts of the tree are used medicinally. The wood makes good fuel but other than this is of little value.
