Bauhinia monandra
(Napoleon's plume)

Pictures

Picture	Title	Caption	Copyright
Title Habit Caption Bauhinia monandra (Napoleon's plume); habit, flowering and seeding tree. Paani Mai Park Hana, Maui, Hawaii, USA. June 2009. Copyright ©Forest Starr & Kim Starr - CC BY 4.0	Habit	Bauhinia monandra (Napoleon's plume); habit, flowering and seeding tree. Paani Mai Park Hana, Maui, Hawaii, USA. June 2009.	©Forest Starr & Kim Starr - CC BY 4.0
Title Habit Caption Bauhinia monandra (Napoleon's plume); habit. Kahului, Maui, Hawaii, USA. August 2009. Copyright ©Forest Starr & Kim Starr - CC BY 4.0	Habit	Bauhinia monandra (Napoleon's plume); habit. Kahului, Maui, Hawaii, USA. August 2009.	©Forest Starr & Kim Starr - CC BY 4.0
Title Leaves Caption Bauhinia monandra (Napoleon's plume); leaves, seedpods and flowers. Paani Mai Park Hana, Maui, Hawaii, USA. June 2009. Copyright ©Forest Starr & Kim Starr - CC BY 4.0	Leaves	Bauhinia monandra (Napoleon's plume); leaves, seedpods and flowers. Paani Mai Park Hana, Maui, Hawaii, USA. June 2009.	©Forest Starr & Kim Starr - CC BY 4.0
Title Leaves Caption Bauhinia monandra (Napoleon's plume); leaves and stem. Paani Mai Park Hana, Maui, Hawaii, USA. June 2009. Copyright ©Forest Starr & Kim Starr - CC BY 4.0	Leaves	Bauhinia monandra (Napoleon's plume); leaves and stem. Paani Mai Park Hana, Maui, Hawaii, USA. June 2009.	©Forest Starr & Kim Starr - CC BY 4.0
Title Flowers Caption Bauhinia monandra (Napoleon's plume); flowers and foliage. Launiupoko, Maui, Hawaii, USA. July 2009. Copyright ©Forest Starr & Kim Starr - CC BY 4.0	Flowers	Bauhinia monandra (Napoleon's plume); flowers and foliage. Launiupoko, Maui, Hawaii, USA. July 2009.	©Forest Starr & Kim Starr - CC BY 4.0
Title FlowerS Caption Bauhinia monandra (Napoleon's plume); close view of flowers. Launiupoko, Maui, Hawaii, USA. July 2009. Copyright ©Forest Starr & Kim Starr - CC BY 4.0	FlowerS	Bauhinia monandra (Napoleon's plume); close view of flowers. Launiupoko, Maui, Hawaii, USA. July 2009.	©Forest Starr & Kim Starr - CC BY 4.0
Title Seedpods Caption Bauhinia monandra (Napoleon's plume); mature seedpods and leaves. Paani Mai Park Hana, Maui, Hawaii, USA. June 2009. Copyright ©Forest Starr & Kim Starr - CC BY 4.0	Seedpods	Bauhinia monandra (Napoleon's plume); mature seedpods and leaves. Paani Mai Park Hana, Maui, Hawaii, USA. June 2009.	©Forest Starr & Kim Starr - CC BY 4.0
Title Seeds Caption Bauhinia monandra (Napoleon's plume); seedpods and seeds. Paani Mai Park Hana, Maui, Hawaii, USA. July 2009. Copyright ©Forest Starr & Kim Starr - CC BY 4.0	Seeds	Bauhinia monandra (Napoleon's plume); seedpods and seeds. Paani Mai Park Hana, Maui, Hawaii, USA. July 2009.	©Forest Starr & Kim Starr - CC BY 4.0
Title Seedling Caption Bauhinia monandra (Napoleon's plume); seedling. Paani Mai Park Hana, Maui, Hawaii, USA. June 2009. Copyright ©Forest Starr & Kim Starr - CC BY 4.0	Seedling	Bauhinia monandra (Napoleon's plume); seedling. Paani Mai Park Hana, Maui, Hawaii, USA. June 2009.	©Forest Starr & Kim Starr - CC BY 4.0
Title Habit Caption Bauhinia monandra (Napoleon's plume); habit. Cultivated trees in park, with naturalized trees jumping the fence. Paani Mai Park Hana, Maui, Hawaii, USA. June 2009. Copyright ©Forest Starr & Kim Starr - CC BY 4.0	Habit	Bauhinia monandra (Napoleon's plume); habit. Cultivated trees in park, with naturalized trees jumping the fence. Paani Mai Park Hana, Maui, Hawaii, USA. June 2009.	©Forest Starr & Kim Starr - CC BY 4.0

Identity

Preferred Scientific Name

• Bauhinia monandra Kurz

Preferred Common Name

• Napoleon's plume

Other Scientific Names

• Bauhinia kappleri Sagot
• Bauhinia krugii Urb.
• Bauhinia porosa Baill.
• Bauhinia punctiflora Baker
• Bauhinia richardiana Voight
• Caspareopsis monandra (Kurz) Britton & Rose
• Caspariopsis monandra (Kurz) Britton & Rose

International Common Names

• English: butterfly flower; Jerusalem date; orchid tree; pink bauhinia; pink butterfly tree; pink orchid tree; St. Thomas tree
• Spanish: huella de vaca; orquidea de pobre; pata de vaca

Local Common Names

• Australia: pink orchid-tree
• Brazil: mororo; pata-de-vaca
• Cook Islands: ipena; pi; pine; pipi
• Cuba: casco de mulo
• Dominican Republic: flamboyan cubano; flamboyan extranjero; flamboyant chino; palo de vaca; semirubia
• French Polynesia: pine; piné
• Haiti: caractere des hommes; deux jumelles; flamboyant etranger; jumelle; les deux jumelles
• Lesser Antilles: Napoleon's cocked hat
• Madagascar: bagnaka; banaka; banakafotsy
• Puerto Rico: alas de angel; baujinia; flamboyan blanco; mariposa; seplina; varital
• Samoa: vae povi
• Tonga: fehi; napoleone

Summary of Invasiveness

Many species in the genus Bauhinia have been actively introduced as ornamentals in many tropical and subtropical regions of the world (Connor, 2002). Evidence available shows that B. monandra is able to escape from cultivation and naturalize in disturbed areas such as roadsides, waste ground, urban areas, grasslands and riparian areas (Wagner et al., 1999; Connor, 2002; Kairo et al., 2003; Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, 2011; PIER, 2014). Once naturalized this species may become weedy and invasive and has the potential to displace native vegetation. It has also invaded dry forests and arid zones on several Pacific islands such as in French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, Northern Mariana Islands and the Galápagos Islands (PIER, 2014).  

Taxonomic Tree

• Domain: Eukaryota
•     Kingdom: Plantae
•         Phylum: Spermatophyta
•             Subphylum: Angiospermae
•                 Class: Dicotyledonae
•                     Order: Fabales
•                         Family: Fabaceae
•                             Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae
•                                 Genus: Bauhinia
•                                     Species: Bauhinia monandra

Notes on Taxonomy and Nomenclature

Fabaceae is a highly diverse family of flowering plants. This family includes about 745 genera and 19,500 species which can be found throughout the world growing in a great variety of climates and environments (Stevens, 2012). The genus Bauhinia is listed within the Cercideae clade in the Caesalpinoid subfamily, and includes about 250 species distributed mainly in tropical and temperate regions of the world (Stevens, 2012). The genus includes trees, lianas, and shrubs that are frequently planted for their showy flowers and ornamental foliage (Connor, 2002).

Description

B. monandra is a tree with young lightly pubescent branches. Leaves ovate- orbicular, up to 20 cm long and almost as wide, chartaceous to subcoriaceous, glabrous above, pubescent on veins below, basally cordate to truncate, apically cleft up to 1/3 the length of the leaf, lobes blunt, rounded; petiole lightly pubescent, up to 6 cm. long, with bilobate callus at insertion of the leaf. Inflorescence a terminal few-flowered raceme. Flowers large, showy; sepals fused to form a spathe about 15-20 mm long. Petals about 4-5 cm long, distinctly clawed. Stamen solitary, filament glabrous, about 25-50 mm long. Anther about 5-6 mm long. Staminodes nine. Style about 35 mm long. Fruits are pods slightly inflated, not flat, about 16-24 x 2-2.5 cm. Pods explosively dehiscent, throwing seeds in all directions. Seeds flat, about 10-12 x 7-8 mm, about 10-20 per pod.

Plant Type

Distribution

B. monandra is native to Madagascar (USDA-ARS, 2014). It has been widely cultivated as an ornamental and is now naturalized in Africa, Asia, Australia, North, Central and South America, the West Indies and on islands in the Pacific Ocean (see distribution table for details; ILDIS, 2014; PROTA, 2014; PIER, 2014). 

Distribution Table

The distribution in this summary table is based on all the information available. When several references are cited, they may give conflicting information on the status. Further details may be available for individual references in the Distribution Table Details section which can be selected by going to Generate Report.

History of Introduction and Spread

In the West Indies, B. monandra was probably introduced later in the 1800s to be used as an ornamental. By the early twentieth century it was reported as naturalized in the Dominican Republic (Urban, 1905) and by 1920 it was also listed for Jamaica, Cuba, Puerto Rico, St Kitts, St Vincent, and Guadeloupe (Urban, 1920). 

Risk of Introduction

The risk of introduction of B. monandra is moderate to high. This species has been actively introduced to be used as an ornamental, hedge plant and for fuelwood (Connor, 2002). Thus, the risk of new introduction as well as the probability of escape from cultivation is high, mainly in disturbed areas where seeds can be dispersed by humans, birds or water flows (Kairo et al., 2003; Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, 2011; PIER, 2014). 

Habitat

B. monandra has been recorded growing in disturbed forests, roadsides, natural thickets, and river-banks in coastal, limestone, and dry forests. It has the potential to grow well on drier and poor sites. It grows in arid lowlands in the Galápagos Islands and in drier sites with relatively poor soils in Australia (McMullen, 1999). It has also been observed to growing along waterways, forest edges and in grasslands (Connor, 2002; Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, 2011; PIER, 2014). 

Habitat List

Biology and Ecology

Genetics

The chromosome number reported for B. monandra is 2n=24 (Gill and Husaini, 1982).

Reproductive Biology

Some species of Bauhinia including B. monandra have large flowers with showy petals, nocturnal anthesis, and nectar produced inside a cylindrical-tubular hypanthium, which are features matching with bat pollination (Banks et al., 2013).

Physiology and Phenology

B. monandra is a fast-growing tree and reaches reproductive maturity in 3 to 4 years (Connor, 2002).

In Australia, B. monandra has been recorded flowering during late spring and summer (from October to January) and fruiting from summer through to spring (from January to October; Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, 2011). In the West Indies, it flowers and fruits throughout most of the year (Connor, 2002).

Environmental Requirements

B. monandra can grow in dry and arid areas as well as in poor soils (PIER, 2014). However, it does best in areas that receive about 600 to 2000 mm of rainfall annually and that have moist, well-drained soils with pH ranging from 6.1 to 7.8 (Connor, 2002; PROTA, 2014). It also grows well in completely sunny to partial shaded areas (PIER, 2014).

Climate

Air Temperature

Rainfall

Rainfall Regime

Soil Tolerances

Soil drainage

• free

Soil reaction

• neutral

Soil texture

• light
• medium

Special soil tolerances

• infertile

Means of Movement and Dispersal

B. monandra reproduces by seed. Seeds are spread when they are ingested and expelled by birds and other animals. Seeds can be also dispersed by water, particularly from ornamental plantings located near waterways, and in dumped garden waste (Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, 2011).

Pathway Causes

Pathway Vectors

Impact Summary

Environmental Impact

B. monandra is regarded as an environmental weed in northern Queensland and is included in the Queensland Priority Weed List. In Australia it invades and displaces native vegetation in open woodlands, forests and conservation areas (Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, 2011). It also invades dry forests and arid environments on Pacific islands (i.e., Northern Mariana Islands and Galápagos Islands) and it is considered a weed in Guam and Hawaii (McMullen, 1999; PIER, 2014). In the Dominican Republic this species is also listed as invasive (Kairo et al., 2003). 

Risk and Impact Factors

• Proved invasive outside its native range
• Highly adaptable to different environments
• Tolerates, or benefits from, cultivation, browsing pressure, mutilation, fire etc
• Pioneering in disturbed areas
• Benefits from human association (i.e. it is a human commensal)
• Long lived
• Fast growing
• Has propagules that can remain viable for more than one year

• Altered trophic level
• Damaged ecosystem services
• Ecosystem change/ habitat alteration
• Modification of nutrient regime
• Modification of successional patterns
• Monoculture formation
• Reduced native biodiversity
• Soil accretion
• Threat to/ loss of native species

• Competition - monopolizing resources
• Competition - shading
• Competition - smothering
• Rapid growth

• Highly likely to be transported internationally deliberately

Uses

B. monandra is often planted for its showy flowers and ornamental foliage; it is also used for fuelwood in Puerto Rico and for fences in Jamaica (Connor, 2002). This species is commonly cultivated as a garden and street tree in the tropical regions of Australia, America, Asia, and the West Indies (USDA-ARS, 2014). Seeds are a useful source of vitamin A. In general, Bauhinia seeds contain high amounts of linoleic and oleic fatty acids and low amounts of myristic and linolenic fatty acids (Connor, 2002). 

Uses List

Environmental

• Amenity
• Boundary, barrier or support

Fuels

• Fuelwood

General

• Botanical garden/zoo

Medicinal, pharmaceutical

• Traditional/folklore

Ornamental

• Cut flower
• Potted plant

Similarities to Other Species/Conditions

B. monandra is very similar to Bauhinia variegata and Bauhinia purpurea. All these species have been listed as naturalized and invasive in many tropical and subtropical countries. These species can be distinguished by the following differences (Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, 2011):

• B. monandra is a small tree with relatively large leaves (up to 20 cm wide). Its flowers are pale pink or whitish with darker pink or reddish-purple markings and have a single fertile stamen.
• B. variegata is a small tree with relatively large leaves (up to 15 cm wide). Its flowers vary from entirely white to various shades of pink or purple with darker pink or reddish-purple markings and have five fertile stamens.
• B. purpurea is a small tree with relatively large leaves (up to 20 cm wide). Its flowers vary from pale purple to bright pinkish-purple and have three fertile stamens.

References

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Banks H, Forest F, Lewis G, 2013. Palynological contribution to the systematics and taxonomy of Bauhinia s.l. (Leguminosae: Cercideae). South African Journal of Botany, 89:219-226. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0254629913003311

Broome R, Sabir K, Carrington S, 2007. Plants of the Eastern Caribbean. Online database. Barbados: University of the West Indies. http://ecflora.cavehill.uwi.edu/index.html

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Connor KF, 2002. Bauhinia monandra. In: Tropical tree seed manual (Vol 721) [ed. by Vozzo, J. A.]., USA: US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service

Correa A, Galdames MDC, Stapf MNS, 2004. Catalogue of vascular plants of Panama (Catalogo de Plantas Vasculares de Panama.), Panama: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, 599 pp

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Kairo M, Ali B, Cheesman O, Haysom K, Murphy S, 2003. Invasive species threats in the Caribbean region. Report to the Nature Conservancy. Curepe, Trinidad and Tobago: CAB International, 132 pp. http://www.issg.org/database/species/reference_files/Kairo%20et%20al,%202003.pdf

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Space JC, Waterhouse BM, Newfield M, Bull C, 2004. Report to the Government of Niue and the United Nations Development Programme: Invasive plant species on Niue following Cyclone Heta. 80 pp. [UNDP NIU/98/G31 - Niue Enabling Activity.] http://www.hear.org/pier/reports/niue_report_2004.htm

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Urban I, 1905. Symbolae Antillanae. Volumen IV. Berlin, Germany: Fratres Borntraeger, 771 pp

Urban I, 1920. Symbolae Antillanae,seu, Fundamenta florae Indiae Occidentalis, Volume 8

USDA-ARS, 2014. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online Database. Beltsville, Maryland, USA: National Germplasm Resources Laboratory. https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomysearch.aspx

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Witt, A., Luke, Q., 2017. Guide to the naturalized and invasive plants of Eastern Africa, [ed. by Witt, A., Luke, Q.]. Wallingford, UK: CABI.vi + 601 pp. http://www.cabi.org/cabebooks/ebook/20173158959 doi:10.1079/9781786392145.0000

Links to Websites

Contributors

18/06/14 Original text by:

Julissa Rojas-Sandoval, Department of Botany-Smithsonian NMNH, Washington DC, USA

Pedro Acevedo-Rodríguez, Department of Botany-Smithsonian NMNH, Washington DC, USA

Distribution Maps