It is a small to medium-sized tree growing to tall, deciduous in the dry season. The leaves are obcordate shaped, long and broad, rounded, and bilobed at the base and apex. The flowers are conspicuous, bright pink or white, diameter, with five petals. Pollens are elongated, approximately 75 microns in length. The fruit is a seedpod long, containing several seeds. The seedpod dries completely on the tree, and when mature begins to twist into a helix or corkscrew shape,, ultimately exploding open—with a very audible "clack"—to deliver its seeds into the environs. The anatomy of the stem was studied by taking transverse section. Periderm and cortex were seen distinctly. Secondary phloem was wide and continuous cylindrical, it consisted of thin and narrow straight rays, three or four cylinders of discontinuous masses of fibres and randomly distributed sieve elements. Secondary xylem was diffuse porous and it included vessels, fibres, xylem rays and xylem parenchyma. Xylem fibres had thick lignified walls or some had gelatinous walls. Xylem parenchyma cells were abundant in the xylem. Xylem rays were one cell wide; they were straight and consisted of radially elongated thick walled lignified walls. Calcium-oxalate crystals are predominantly prismatic crystals and druses type. Powder microscopical examination showed presence of fibres, parenchymatous cells, periderm and vessel elements. Histochemical analysis of stem showed presence of protein, tannin, lignin and cellulose. The anatomy of the root was studied by taking transverse section. Secondary phloem and secondary xylem were seen distinctly. Secondary phloem had fairly wide rays, dense masses of phloem fibers and radial rows of phloem elements. Secondary xylem had much wider, thin-walled vessels which were either solitary or in radial multiples. The xylem fibers constituted gelatinous type and normal type. Calcium oxalate crystals were predominantly prismatic type. Powder microscopical examination showed presence of xylem parenchyma cells, xylem fibers and vessel elements.
Image:Bauhinia variegata MHNT.BOT.2011.3.22.jpg|Seed pods and seeds – MHNT Image:Bauhinia variegata Devakanchanam leaves Bhadrachalam.jpg|'Camel-foot' foliage Image:Bauhinia variegata var candida in Hyderabad W IMG 4659.jpg|Var. candida in Hyderabad, India Image:Bauhinia variegata, Parque de la Alegría, Málaga.jpg|As ornamental tree in Spain
Uses as food & Medicine
Kachnar is a local name in India and Pakistan for the edible buds collected from the tree; it is widely used as an ingredient in many subcontinent recipes. Traditional kachnar curry is prepared using kachnar buds, yogurt, onions and native spices. Kachnar buds are also eaten as a stir-fried vegetable and used to make achaar, a pickle in many parts of the Indian sub-continent. In some regions it is cooked with minced beef. It shows a good antioxidant and anticancer activity.
