Bauhinia divaricata

Bauhinia divaricata, the bull-hoof or Mexican orchid tree (also called cowfoot, goathoof and mountain ebony), is a small deciduous tree or large shrub in the Fabaceae, formally described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. Plants typically reach 3 to 8 meters tall on slender branches and bear the distinctive bilobed leaves characteristic of Bauhinia, resembling a cloven hoof, with the two rounded lobes separated by a deep apical notch. The fragrant flowers have five free white to pale-pink narrow petals fading to purplish, about 5 to 7 centimeters across, with five long exserted stamens, opening in evening and lasting a single day. The fruit is a flat dehiscent oblong pod 8 to 15 centimeters long. The species is native to Mexico, Central America (except Panama) and the Caribbean, including Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola and the Cayman Islands, where it occupies dry forest, scrub and limestone hillsides.