- Hi, it's me again! (2)
On another occasion I have already published a photo of this flower here on Flickr. Now I do it again as it is another plant that blooms in the middle of winter, filling our parks and gardens with beauty and charm.
Pata-de-vaca (Cow's paw) / Bauhinia variegata is a medium-sized tree (from 5 to 9 meters tall) with a tortuous trunk measuring 30 to 40 cm in diameter. Due to the morphology of its leaves, similar to the shape of the paws of bovine animals, it is commonly called Pata-de-vaca.
It is a tree much sought after by bees, due to its exuberant flowering, but the pata-de-vaca goes far beyond a plastic beauty, as this species contains chemical compounds capable of helping to combat diabetes and other diseases, generally extracted from its leaf, flower and bark.
In the case of Bauhinia variegata, of Indian and Chinese origin, which has white, pink or purple flowers, an important property was discovered: it has a protein similar to insulin, the hormone produced by the pancreas, fundamental in the process of controlling the rate of blood glucose.
It is also widely used in landscaping. But there are native species. Adding to the exotic (case in question), there are more than 300 species, some very similar to each other.
It usually blooms from July and stays that way for three months.
The species is a pioneer and important in the regeneration of degraded forests.
- Hi, it's me again! (2)
On another occasion I have already published a photo of this flower here on Flickr. Now I do it again as it is another plant that blooms in the middle of winter, filling our parks and gardens with beauty and charm.
Pata-de-vaca (Cow's paw) / Bauhinia variegata is a medium-sized tree (from 5 to 9 meters tall) with a tortuous trunk measuring 30 to 40 cm in diameter. Due to the morphology of its leaves, similar to the shape of the paws of bovine animals, it is commonly called Pata-de-vaca.
It is a tree much sought after by bees, due to its exuberant flowering, but the pata-de-vaca goes far beyond a plastic beauty, as this species contains chemical compounds capable of helping to combat diabetes and other diseases, generally extracted from its leaf, flower and bark.
In the case of Bauhinia variegata, of Indian and Chinese origin, which has white, pink or purple flowers, an important property was discovered: it has a protein similar to insulin, the hormone produced by the pancreas, fundamental in the process of controlling the rate of blood glucose.
It is also widely used in landscaping. But there are native species. Adding to the exotic (case in question), there are more than 300 species, some very similar to each other.
It usually blooms from July and stays that way for three months.
The species is a pioneer and important in the regeneration of degraded forests.