红背叶羊蹄甲 hong bei ye yang ti jia

Bauhinia mirabilis Gagnepain (1952), not Merrill (1929).

Lianas, woody, with tendrils. Branches robust; young branches angulate; new growth densely rusty hirsute. Stipules caducous, ca. 10 mm; petiole robust, 1.2-6 cm, rusty tomen­tose; leaf blade orbicular or broadly orbicular, 9-12.5 × 10.5-16 cm, leathery, abaxially thickly rusty tomentose and pubescent, more so on veins, adaxially glabrous except near veins, primary veins 11-13, base deeply cordate, apex bifid to 1/3-1/2 on flowering branches, lobes obtuse or rarely acute at apex. Inflo­rescence a corymbose raceme, terminal or lateral, rusty tomen­tose; bracts narrowly triangular, 5-8 mm, outside tomentose; bracteoles similar but narrower, inserted on pedicel above mid­dle. Pedicel 4-5 cm. Flower buds ovoid, 10-15 mm. Receptacle cupular, 7-9 mm; calyx lobes 5, ovate, ca. 13 mm, outside pu­bescent, obtuse. Petals white, subequal, obovate-suborbicular, ca. 15 × 10 mm, abaxially rusty hairy, adaxially glabrous, claw ca. 5 mm. Fertile stamens 3; filaments ca. 25 mm, glabrous; anthers ellipsoid, ca. 4 mm. Staminodes 2, much reduced. Ovary shortly stalked, 20-25 mm, densely tomentose; style 10-15 mm, glabrous; stigma capitate. Legume strap-shaped, compressed, dehiscent, 10-40 × 4.5-7.5 cm; valves hard woody, densely rusty tomentose. Seeds orbicular, compressed, 20-25 mm in diam.

Dense forests in rocky hill valleys; 400-500 m. Guangxi [Laos, Vietnam].