Bauhinia aculeata subsp. aculeata
Shrubs or trees, to 8 m. Branches tomentose when young, soon glabrate, with 1 or 2 slightly curved intrastipular spines to 1 cm. Leaves unifoliolate; stipules linear, 4 mm; petiole 0.5–3 cm, tomentose, strigose, or glabrate; blade suborbiculate to broadly lanceolate, 30–60 × 25–50 mm, emarginate or 2-lobate to 1/3(–1/2) length, base cordate to rounded, 7–9-veined, apex of each lobe rounded to acute, surfaces tomentose, strigose, or glabrate. Racemes (1–)3–10-flowered; subterminal and axillary; bract linear, 2–5 mm; bracteoles similar to bract. Pedicels 0.5–1 cm. Flowers: buds linear-lanceolate, 30–40 mm; hypanthium tubular, 3–10 mm; petals white, narrowly elliptic to obovate, subequal, 30–80(–100) mm; fertile stamens 10, 5 alternate ones shorter; filaments shortly connate basally, 20–60(–75) mm; anthers 4–7 mm; staminodes 0; gynoecium arcuate, nearly equaling stamens; ovary and gynophore pilose, style glabrate; stigma capitate. Legumes: stipe 10–20 mm; linear to narrowly ellipsoid, 70–150 × 15–25 mm. Seeds 5–10, brown, oblong to subglobose, 6–11 × 5–8 mm; funicular aril lobes equal, 2–2.5 mm.
Phenology: Flowering summer.
Habitat: Disturbed sites.
Elevation: 0–50 m.
Distribution
Introduced; Fla., Mexico, West Indies (Lesser Antilles), Central America (El Salvador, Panama), South America (Colombia, Venezuela).
Discussion
Subspecies aculeata is locally escaped in Miami-Dade County.
Selected References
None.