Bauhinia bowkeri is a small evergreen tree belonging to the legume family. Although this tree usually grows as a scrambling shrub, it can also develop into a small tree with a mature height of about 6m. It is endemic to Eastern Cape where it’s found growing naturally on rocky grounds.

Like all indigenous Bauhinias, the leaves of this tree are distinctively butterfly-like and consist of two rounded, nearly semi-circular lobes fused along the inner margins as if on a hinge. On young branches, the bark is light brown and has conspicuous lenticels. The bark becomes grey-brown with age.

B. bowkeri flowers profusely during spring and summer (October to December). The flowers are carried in bunches along the branch tips, each bunch consisting up to 6 individual strongly sweet-scented flowers. After flowering, straight narrow, dark brown pods are produced, these split to release flattened seeds during late summer to autumn.

This tree is ideal for informal hedging. It can also be pruned into a standard to create a beautiful small tree. It is favoured by small birds for nesting and grows well on fertile soils in a sunny position. Once established, this shrub or small tree is long-lived. It can be planted as a single plant or in groups. This tree does not tolerate severe frost.