bauhinia

plural bauhinias

1. Any of flowering plants of the Bauhinia genus, some of which are known as orchid trees.

   Our camp was about four miles above the furthest point attained by Captain Stokes, and consequently in Beagle Valley which we had traversed for more than thirty miles, the greater part of which was well grassed and openly wooded with box, bauhinia, and acacia.

   1884, A C, F T Gregory, Journals of Australian Explorations

   2 more examples

   I may mention a few common trees which I have observed today--first, on the edges of the river fine large tea-trees, with foliage (melaleuca) like the drooping willow; beautiful Leichhardt-trees, pandanus, and cabbage-palm-trees: on the banks and scattered over the plain, stunted box, bauhinia, white cedar, and bloodwood; with the pandanus I got too intimately acquainted for, while with merely a shirt upon me, leading a restive horse across the river, I fell back and, rolling, got its thorns into all parts of my body.

   1862, William Landsborough, Journal of Landsborough's Expedition from Carpentaria

   "The insect (and its secretion) on the leaves of the bauhinia, and which is eaten by the Africans, proves to be a species of Psylla, a genus of small, very active Homoptera, of which we have one very common species in the box; but our species, Psylla buxi, emits its secretion in the shape of very long, white, cotton-like filaments.

   1873, David Livingstone, Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa

   Synonyms: mountain ebony, purple orchid tree