Bauhinia question

Are Bauhinia glabra and Bauhinia yunnanensis the same plant?

Gina, I did a search on your question and found this response on gardens.com:

"From the research I have completed about Bauhinias, I have found that Bauhinia corymbosa and Bauhinia yunnanensis are often misidentified with each other. Many nurseries have them mislabelled. Here is the information I have gathered from sources in China:

Bauhinia corymbosa:

Young branches, inflorescences and one side of tendrils hairy and rusty colored

Leaf blade 2 to 4 cm long by 2 to 5 cm wide, papery, abaxially rusty pubescent on veins and near base, adaxially glabrous, primarry veins = 7 per lobe

Flower buds ovoid, rusty pubescent

Petals whitish with pink stripes, 8 to11 mm long by 6 to 8 mm wide, broadly spatulate or suborbicular

Pods straight or curved, 10 to 25 cm long by 1.5 to 2.5 cm wide

Seeds 4 to 6 mm long

Bloom time:mid-spring through late summer



Bauhinia yunnanensis:

Leaf blade broadly elliptic, 2 to 4.5 cm long by 1 to 2.5 cm wide, primary veins = 3 or 4 per lobe

Petals pinkish with dark red stripes along veins, spatulate

Pods linear-oblong, 8 to 15 cm long by 1.5 to 2 cm wide, with beaked apex

Seeds 7 to 9 mm long

Bloom time: late summer

Sooo, the easiest thing to do is count the veins on the leaves. If there are 7, then your plant is Bauhinia corymbosa. If there are 3 or 4, then your plant is Bauhinia yunnanensis. The other major difference is the bloom time. If your plant blooms in the spring, it is Bauhinia corymbosa."

That's about the best answer that I've seen. They're also from opposite sides of the planet.