Kachnar Tree (Bauhinia variegata): How to Grow It in Jaipur and Use Its Buds

Flowers when little else is in bloom

It is planted along avenues and in gardens for its large, fragrant pink, purple or white flowers. The white form is var. candida.

Buds for the kitchen

The flower buds, flowers and young leaves are eaten as a vegetable. The green, pod-shaped buds are picked two or three times in a season and cooked into curries and pickles. The best-known home dish is kachnar ki kali ki sabzi: the buds are boiled for a few minutes, drained and then fried with onion and spices. Some families also cook them with curd. A study from Himachal Pradesh found the buds a good source of fibre, and a 2023 study found kachnar flowers higher in protein and plant phenolics than three other edible flowers of the western Himalaya.

Fodder, fuel and small wood

Sheep, goats and cattle eat the leaves readily. The moderately hard wood is used for farm tools and fuel, and the bark yields fibre, tannin and a gum.

Bees

The late-winter flowers are visited by bees, though where buds are picked heavily there is little left for them.

Traditional uses

In Ayurveda and folk medicine the bark and dried buds of kanchanara have long been used, for example in remedies for diarrhoea and skin complaints. This describes traditional use only and is not medical advice.

A note on shade

Kachnar gives light shade for most of the year, but it is bare from roughly January to April, just as the heat begins. For summer shade, plant it next to a neem.