Native to a variety of habitats in South Asia, Southeast Asia, southern China, and Japan. It is common in the mixed and sal forests of the sub-Himalayan tract, ascending to 1,200 metres. It is characteristic of mixed deciduous forests, often of a dry type, occurring on hill slopes, in valleys, and along streams.

An erect, evergreen shrub or tree with a very bushy crown; it can grow 7 - 10 metres tall.

BARK: Ashy to dark brown bark, young parts pubescent.

LEAVES:  alternate, petiolate, simple, leaflet margins entire, leaflets lobed or hastate, Leaflets 1, glabrous, hairy on one or both surfaces, stipules conspicuous, green, triangulate to lanceolate or foliaceous.

FLOWERS: racemes, axillary, terminal, bracts conspicuously present, bracteoles present, flowers actinomorphic or somewhat irregular, calyx 5-lobed and hairy, petals separate, clawed, red, blue, lavander to purple, or violet.

FRUITS: legume, stipitate, unilocular, freely dehiscent, elongate, straight, oblong or ellipsoidal, coriaceous or becoming woody, F exserted from calyx, glabrous or glabrate, hairy, 3-10 seeded, Seeds ovoid to rounded in outline, surface smooth, olive, brown, or black.

Pod 15-25 cm long, c. 1.5-2 cm broad; stalk c. 2 cm long. Seeds 12-15, almost round, c. 1.2-1.3 cm in diameter, brown, smooth.

Edible: leaves, flower buds and flowers, young seedpods. http://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php id=Bauhinia%20purpurea

Medicine: roots, flowers and bark.   http://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php id=Bauhinia%20purpurea

The plant yields a gum.

The bark is a source of tannins.  It is also used for dyeing.

A fibre is obtained from the bark.

The wood is used for carpentry and joinery when large enough and is used for agricultural implements.

The wood is used for fuel.

An ornamental tree.