Alibangbang
Bauhinia malabarica · Malabar bauhinia
- Names in the book
- Alibag̃bag̃, Tag., Vis., Pam.
- Used for
- Diarrhea and dysentery
- Colours
- flowerwhite, cream
- Native range
- South and Southeast Asia
- In the Philippines, per the book
- Common everywhere. Blooms in November. Mimosa Division.
- Family
- Fabaceae, filed in the book under Leguminosæ
- Printed as
- Bauhinia malabarica, Roxb. (B. tomentosa, Wall. and Blanco.)
- Sources
- Page 105 on Project Gutenberg · Wikipedia
The plant today
Piliostigma malabaricum is a small (sometimes ornamental) tree species in the family Fabaceae. It was previously placed in the genus Bauhinia, but names changed with reorganisation of the subfamily Cercidoideae and the tribe Bauhinieae. This species is native to Tropical Asia and N. Australia; it has been called the "Purple Orchid Tree" (although not to be confused with Bauhinia purpurea or Bauhinia variegata) and names in Vietnamese are: chân trâu and móng bò tai voi. There are no intraspecific names according to Plants of the World Online.
Excerpt from “Piliostigma malabaricum” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sa Tagalog
Ang alibangbang o alibambang (Piliostigma malabaricum, na may synonym na Bauhinia malabarica) ay isang uri ng maliit na puno na may mga dahong ginagamit sa pagpapalasa ng karne at isda.
Sipi mula sa “Alibangbang (puno)” sa Tagalog Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Recorded in the Philippines
GBIF holds 74 records of this plant from the Philippines. The ones with map coordinates fall in 5 provinces: Laguna (6), Rizal (4), Tarlac (2), Nueva Ecija (1), Samar (1).
Counts from GBIF occurrence records, October 2026. They include planted trees and garden plants, and a province with no records may only lack collectors.
What the 1901 book says
A historical record, quoted as printed. Doses and remedies here are not medical advice.
Uses
The leaves of this tree and of the species B. tomentosa, L., are quite acid and the Filipinos use them as an ingredient of many dishes. The fresh flowers possess anti-dysenteric virtues for which purpose they are given internally in infusion of 10–20 grams of the flowers to one-half liter of water. The decoction of the root bark is a common remedy for liver troubles along the coast of Malabar according to Rheede.
Botanical description
A tree 20° high, with leaves alternate, peltate, slightly cordate, orbicular, the apex divided into two large lobules with a stylet between them, glabrous above, somewhat downy beneath; 2 large, flat glandules are situated at the base. Petioles short. Flowers cymose. Peduncle long. Calyx inferior, funnelform, with 4–5 sepals as long as the corolla. Corolla, 5 petals. Stamens 10, 5 alternate ones longer than the others. Stigma thick, peltate, 2 lobules. Pod 1° long, with linear stalk, containing many seeds separated by filamentous isthmuses.
Recent research
The most cited papers since 2022 that name this plant in the title, pulled from Europe PMC in October 2026. Titles are the authors' own and the findings have not been reviewed here.
- Racemosol Derivatives and Other Metabolites from Bauhinia malabarica Bark with Antibacterial Activity
- Cytotoxic phenanthrene and racemosol derivatives from Bauhinia malabarica roots: network pharmacology and in silico mechanistic insights
- Natural Racemosol-Type from Bauhinia malabarica: A New Class of Nonanthocyanin pH Indicators