Bauhinia Cunninghamii

**Fallen Woodwork** · 9th September 2021, 07:08 PM

Wait a minute, what the ... curing in water?

Dang, so much to learn

Shame those photos were lost

Speaking of photos I had better share some images showing the clear difference between this ironwood and bauhinia leaf

These ironwood leaves just hung on long enough for a short car ride to be photographed

Description
Leaflet blades about 3-5.5 x 2-4 cm, unequal-sided and very oblique at the base. Stipules small and inconspicuous (less than 1 mm long), caducous, visible only on young shoots. Young shoots densely clothed in short brown hairs. Leaflet stalks transversely wrinkled. Lateral veins forming a somewhat obscure series of loops inside the blade margin.
https://www.canbr.gov.au/cpbr/cd-keys/RFK7/key/RFK7/Media/Html/entities/Erythrophleum_chlorostachys.htm

Now for the species for which this thread has been started
This is a much smaller tree than the ironwood but the largest I could find in the area
Trunk is approximately 250-300mm. Leaf browning likely due to recent fire heat damage + dry season

Another much smaller species which had leaves within mobile phone detail capture range

Two leaflets in the compound leaf, each leaflet blade about 20-30 x 10-20 mm, sessile usually with 4 or 5 longitudinal radiating veins. A terminal spine or gland usually present between the leaflets.

https://www.canbr.gov.au/cpbr/cd-key...nninghamii.htm

And another showing how ragged the bark can be

**dai sensei** · 10th September 2021, 11:35 AM

Got to remember Red and White Bauhinia grow in the same area, so others growing around doesn't necessarily mean that's what you have. My thoughts of White Bauhinia is based on the timber sapwood alone, I've never seen a Red Bauhinia with that large darker heartwood.

Water curing has been used for centuries, best in flowing water though like rivers, but it does take a long time and then you still have to dry it. I was going to throw them in the pool but mine is a salt water pool. Most ebonies take a long time to season. and since I was going to be away for over a year (including 2 summer/dry seasons), plus I didn't want to cut it up as yet, I didn't want to risk it cracking.

**Fallen Woodwork** · 10th September 2021, 10:46 PM

Oh, I see what the problem is Neil. My apologies, those photos of the heartwood are actually ironwood which I incorrectly thought was bauhinia. Mea Culpa.

Thanks for the info about water curing. I picked up a log from out of a flowing creek last wet season and made a bowl out of it which turned out okay.

**dai sensei** · 12th September 2021, 11:11 AM

Originally Posted by Fallen Woodwork

Oh, I see what the problem is Neil. My apologies, those photos of the heartwood are actually ironwood which I incorrectly thought was bauhinia. Mea Culpa.

Thanks for the info about water curing. I picked up a log from out of a flowing creek last wet season and made a bowl out of it which turned out okay.

LOL ok. I did find one photo of the White Bauhinia I scored. Mind you the ends, bleeding with sap, just painted with PVA at the time

white Bauhinia.jpg

**TTIT** · 12th September 2021, 01:57 PM

Originally Posted by Fallen Woodwork

. . . . . I checked out TTIT about a month ago and found it a great resource.
If you have any pics of white Bauhinia I'd be keen to see
Cheers

Don't think you looked closely enough

. . . Red Bauhinia . . . White bauhinia

**Fallen Woodwork** · 17th September 2021, 10:11 AM

Originally Posted by TTIT

Don't think you looked closely enough

. . . Red Bauhinia . . . White bauhinia

Hahaha - guilty

. I would like to rename this thread - "How to identify Bauhinia Cunninghamii" .. and not confuse with other species.
I did notice the two species linked are Hookeri and Carronii.
I have a Cunninghamii in my back yard which has just come into flower

I wonder if anyone has come across this species?
I took a small cutting - a branch around 50mm that was going intruding into the neighbours side of the fence. The timber was completely white and had as Dai Sensai indicates it bled a clear sap. This sap dried quickly and was not sticky to the touch when dry. I wonder of the trunk timber would have some heartwood colour

Addit - this flower looks similar to that of the Carronii but different.

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