Bauhinia monandra is an evergreen shrub or a tree with a rounded crown. It can grow 3 - 15 metres tall. The bole can be 50cm in diameter. Its smooth, gray bark can become scaly and red brown on older trees. The leaves of are shaped like butterfly wings, rounded, and split 1/3 to 1/2 their length, forming two equal lobes. It is commonly planted for its showy flowers and ornamental foliage. The large, 5-petaled orchid-like flowers occur in short racemes; four of the spoon-shaped petals are pink and dotted with red or purple markings, while the fifth petal is mostly red or purple. The flowers range from 6.4 to 10.2 cm in diameter. The fruits are dark, dehiscent pods that are 2.5 cm wide, 15.2 to 30.5 cm long, and pointed at the apex. The Plant prefers a sunny position in a fertile, well-drained soils and grows well on drier, poorer sites. Use: The young leaves and seedpods cooked can be eaten as a vegetable. The pods are pounded and boiled in water to provide a laxative drink. They are used as an astringent for treating diarrhoea and dysentery and are also used as a remedy for fevers. A decoction of the root and bark is used in the treatment of leprosy and smallpox. An anti-inflammatory ointment is made from the bark. The leaves have been used in the treatment of diabetes. Leaf extracts are used in the treatment of eye ailments. 50. Scientific name: Dracaena reflexa var. angustifolia BAKER Common names: silhouette plant, rainbow tree, madagascar dragon tree Family: Asparagaceae Origin: Madagascar
Description: Dracaena reflexa can reach a height of 4–5 m usually it is much smaller, especially when grown as a houseplant. It is slow-growing and upright in habit, tending to an oval shape with an open crown. The lanceolate leaves are simple, spirally arranged, 5–20 cm long and 1.5–5 cm broad at the base, with a parallel venation and entire margin. They grow in tight whorls and are a uniform dark green. The flowers are small, clustered, usually white and extremely fragrant, appearing in mid-winter. Neither the flowers nor the fruit are especially showy. D. reflexa var. angustifolia differs in having a magenta tint to its flowers, a shrubby habit, and olive-green leaves. Use: Very young leaves - cooked and eaten as a side dish with rice. The leaves can be pounded then mixed with water to give a green juice that is used for colouring an Indian pastry made of glutinous rice. The juice squeezed from the boiled leaves is drunk as a remedy for asthma and shortness of breath. A decoction of the leaves is given to people suffering weight loss and poor appetite.
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