Bauhinia racemosa, aatthi in Tamil and apta in Marathi, is a small dry-forest tree with camel-hoof leaves and drooping sprays of small creamy flowers. On Dussehra in Maharashtra, people exchange apta leaves as “gold”, a custom tied to the Mahabharata. Its leaves have also been used to roll beedis, and its bark to make rope.
- Botanical name
- Bauhinia racemosa Lam.
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Tamil
- Aatthi
- Hindi
- Jhinjha
- Parts used
- Bark (lists), Leaves (plates)
- Habit
- Small-flowered dry Bauhinia; kachnar is a shop word
- Last updated
- 2026-10-26
How to recognise Aatthi
It is a small, crooked, deciduous tree with rough, dark bark and drooping branches.
The leaves are small and two-lobed like a camel’s hoof, broader than long, with a deep notch at the tip.
Small creamy-white to yellowish flowers grow in drooping sprays, opposite the leaves.
The pods are flat, curved and twisted, turning brown and hard. Kachnar, Bauhinia variegata, has large pink or white flowers.
It flowers in the hot season, often while still partly leafless, and the pods ripen by the start of the monsoon.
Traditional use of Aatthi
Festival
In Maharashtra apta leaves are exchanged on Dussehra as sona, gold, recalling a legend of leaves turning to gold.
Marathi festival tradition
Village use
Leaves have been used as beedi wrappers and plates, and the bark fibre for rope.
Indian village practice
Modern notes on Aatthi
Laboratory studies of extracts exist, but there is no established clinical use.
It is planted in dryland afforestation because it tolerates drought and poor soil.
Aatthi safety
There is no established food use.
Ecology and sourcing
It grows in dry deciduous forest and scrub across India, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.
Heavy leaf collection before Dussehra has damaged trees around some cities. Picking a few leaves, or buying from cultivated sources, is kinder to the trees.
Goats and cattle browse its leaves, and its flowers are visited by bees and small butterflies.
Related plants
Also in Fabaceae
Questions about Aatthi
Is Aatthi kachnar?
No. Kachnar is Bauhinia variegata, with large showy flowers.
What older names does Bauhinia racemosa go by?
Piliostigma racemosum.
Why are the Aatthi’s leaves exchanged on Dussehra?
In Maharashtra they are given as symbolic gold.
What is the Tamil name of Bauhinia racemosa?
Aatthi.
Sources
- Bauhinia racemosa Lam. — Plants of the World Online, Kew (search) (accessed 2026)
- Wikidata item Q35608 (Bauhinia racemosa)
Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.