The Apta, or Bidi Leaf Tree, is a small crooked tree native to India that grows up to 5 meters tall. It has heart-shaped leaves and bears small white flowers. Almost every part of the Apta tree has medicinal properties. The bark, leaves, flowers, seeds, and gum are used to treat headaches, fever, skin diseases, digestive issues, and even cancer. The leaves are also commonly used for making bidi cigarettes. The Apta is considered easy to cultivate and tolerant of harsh conditions, making it suitable for planting.
2. General Information
It is called yamalapatrakah in Sanskrit, and
comenly knowned as Apta or Bidi Leaf Tree
(Bauhinia racemos) is a small crooked tree.
Bidi Leaf Tree is a small crooked tree with
drooping branches, growing up to 3-5 m tall.
Leaves are typical Bauhinia like, shaped like
cow's hooves. They are broader than long, 2-5
X 3-6 cm. Small flowers are borne in loose
racemes, 5-10 cm long. Flowers are about 1
cm, greenish white. Petal are 5, narrow
lancelike, stamens 10. Pods 13 to 25 cms by
1.8-2.5 cms in size, generally curved, swollen,
rigid. Seeds 12 to 20, glabrous, dark reddish
brown or black, compressed, 8mm long.
Flowering: February-May.
Its bark is dark brown, smooth and peels in
patches. Its heart-shaped leaves have long,
tapering tips. The slightest breeze makes them
rustle.
The fruit is purple when ripe. During the Vedic
period, its wood was used to make fire by
friction.
3. Origin The Apta (Bauhinia racemosa) is one of several
varieties of Bauhinias found in India. It is found
commonly in dry decidous forests and may even be
found upto an altitude of 1500 metres in the Western
Himalayas. Given the title 'Vanarajah', king of the
forest in Sanskrit it is also known as Svet Kanchan for
its small white flowers and often mistaken for the
more commonly found Kanchan which has rose
purple flowers, because of the similarity in the shape
of their leaves.
Did you know that this tree is traditionally associated
with the festival of Dasara?
These are the Shami (Prosopis spicigera) and the Apta
(Bauhinia racemosa). In many communities in central
India, there is a ritual of exchanging the leaves of the
Apta as a symbol of gold during Dasara.
Time to make a difference!
In recent times, these trees are not so commonly found
especially in urban environments. The tradition of
offerring the leaves, leads to a widescale destruction
of the few remaining trees in and around the cities.
To reverse this trend, eCoexist proposes gifts of Apta
and Shami saplings for the festival of Dussehra.
4. Plantation The Apta seems easy to find
because it has leaves with two
lobes. But careful! There are several
species of Bauhinia in India and
often the more commonly occurring
Kanchan (as shown in the image)
which has pink flowers gets
mistaken for the Apta which has
small white flowers.
It grow in very harsh climatic
conditions and in poor soil. The
roots of this plant are known to go
down as deep as 35 meters in
search of water. Being a legume, it
adds nitrogen to the soil and
increases its fertility.
When planting, use soil with a pH of
7 or below. It grows best outside.
Young Apta tree need proper
nourishment. It requires full sunlight
and proper watering.
5. Uses
Almost each & every part of this tree has some medicinal values. The stem bark of
the tree is an astringent and is used in the treatment of headache, fever, skin
diseases, blood diseases, dysentery & diarrhea. A decoction of the bark is
recommended as a useful wash for ulcers. The tree is demonstrated to have anti-
oxidant & hepatoprotective effects. An extract of the leaves has been proved
to show analgesic, anti-pyretic, anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic, anthelmintic
and anti-microbial activity too. The tree has anti-tumor qualities and is also used
in to treat early stage of malignancy. The Apta is used as a cure for digestive
diseases such as diarrhoea and dysentery. It also has anti-tumour qualities and is
used to treat the first stages of cancer.
The flowers are laxative & seeds are anti-bacterial.
The leaves are used for making bidis (Bidi Leaf Tree). The tree yields a useful gum
& fibres. The bark is used for tanning and dyeing.