Koiralo, mountain ebony, orchid tree, camel’s foot tree
Binomial name Phanera variegata
Koiralo is a flowering plant that grows well in parts of Southeast Asia and is native to India, Pakistan, Nepal, Burma and Sri Lanka. Flowers are purple and red color having strap-shaped long and hard pods. It grows as a tree with of 10-15 meters high and blooms as flowers during the spring season in forests. Leaves are eaten by sheeps, goats and kettles and flowers with pods are cooked in Nepalese kitchen as a seasonal dish. It is cultivated as an ornamental tree and famous for its scented flowers.
Koiralo is basically consumed as pickles and vegetables in Nepal.
It recovers the digestive system, increase the appetite and used for medicinal purposes like treating skin ailments, ulcers, gastrointestinal diseases. Mostly herbal medicines are sold contained with mountain ebony extracts or scents.
Koiralo ko achaar [fresh pickles of mountian ebony] is a very famous dish in Nepal, which is a combination of potatoes and koiralo. Koiralo and boiled separately and added with sesame and lemon juice. The flowers with their stems are used to make this dish.
References –
http://www.thegundruk.com/koiralo-ko-phool-ko-achaar/
http://myrecipejasmin.blogspot.com/2014/03/koiralo-ko-phool-achhar-mountain-ebony.html
http://herbfinder.tattvasherbs.com/mountain-ebony-orchid-tree/
http://www.theayurveda.org/ayurveda/herbs/12-medicinal-benefits-of-bauhinia-plant/
http://www.worldagroforestry.org/treedb/AFTPDFS/Bauhinia_variegata.PDF
