Plant of the month December,2005
Eng (thai)

 

 

Bauhinia siamensis K. Larsen & S.S. Larsen, Nat. Hist. Bull. Siam Soc. 50(1): 99. 2002.
Leguminosae-Caesalpinioideae

Description: Tendril liana; young branches reddish-brown hairy. Stipules rotundate to obovate, 0.6–1 cm long. Leaves ovate, 4–7.5 x 4–7 cm; apex bifid ca 1/3 to 2/5, hairy on lower surface; petioles 1–3 cm long. Inflorescences elongate raceme, pendulous to 75 cm long, axis reddish-brown; bracts lanceolate; pedicels 1.8–2.5 cm, pubescent. Hypanthium cup-shaped, oblique, striate. Calyx bilabiate. Petals 5, subequal, obovate to elliptic, pale pink to pink, apex rounded, base attenuate, 1.5–2 x 0.8–1 cm. Fertile stamens 3, filaments 1.3–1.5 cm long. Staminodes 6. Ovary stipitate, stipe ca 0.4 cm long. Pod oblong, dehiscent, dark brown, 16–18 x 3–4 cm; beak ca 0.5 cm; stalk ca 0.6 cm long. Seeds ovate, flat, dark brown, 1.5–2 cm long.

 

 

Distribution: Endemic to N Thailand, recorded from Phu Miang, Phitsanulok, in mixed deciduous forest, ca 300 m.

Notes: Last updated on 7 December 2016.

Thai name: Sio daeng (เสี้ยวแดง), Soi siam (สร้อยสยาม).

Photos: Rachun Pooma (cultivated).

References: 
Larsen, K. and S.S. Larsen. 2002. Bauhinia siamensis (Leguminosae-Caesalpinoideae), an extraordinary new species from Thailand. Natural History Bulletin of the Siam Society. Vol. 50: 99–104.