Food Plants International - Plant Fact Sheets Bauhinia petersiana - White bauhinia, Zambezi coffee

Edible parts - Seeds - coffee, Seeds, Nectar, Root

An untidy spreading bush. It grows 3-4 m high. It can be 9 m high. The bark is dark and powdery and flakes off in strips. The leaves have lobes for almost half their length. The lobes are oval. They are 3.5-6 cm long and 3-8 cm wide. The base of the leaf is deeply lobed. The flowers are long and crinkled with white petals. Flowers are 8 cm long by 1-1.5 cm wide. The fruit is a large brown pod. These are 12-18 cm long by 3-6 cm wide. They split open rapidly forming a spiral.

A tropical plant. It grows in woodland and wooded grassland at medium and low altitudes. It is often on termite mounds. It grows from 120-1800 m altitude. It is more common in the lowlands. It is damaged by drought or frost. It needs well-drained soil. In Zimbabwe it grows in areas with a rainfall between 600-750 mm per year. It suits hardiness zones 10-12.