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Bauhinia variegata L. is an ethnomedicinal plant belonging to the family Fabaceae and subfamily Caesalpiniaceae; commonly known as Kachnar, Mountain ebony, Koinar saag and Orchid tree. It is native to China, Indiansubcontinent and South eastern Asia. Ethnomedicinally it is used for the treatment of diarrhoea, mouth ulcer, hepatomegaly, tonsilitis, cyst and fibroid in uterus, burning sensation in urine and diabetes. It has pharmacological properties like antimicrobial, antioxidant, antidiabetic, anticancer, anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective. For present study ethanolic extract was prepared using cold extraction method. For the identification of phytochemicals prepared extract was subjected to GC-MS analysis. The obtained spectra of GC-MS were analysed and compared with the GC-MS spectra database of online Wiley library and NIST (National Institute of Standard and Technology) to identify the phytochemical compounds. A total of 33 compounds were isolated, out of which Neophytadiene was present in highest %; Palmidrol and 2,6,10,14,18-PENTAMETHYL-2,6,10,14,18-ICOSAPENT in lowest %. Major phytochemicals identified from GC-MS spectra are Neophytadiene (25.19), Phytol (13.07) and gamma-Sitosterol (10.97). Identified phytochemicals belong to different compound classes of flavonoids, steroids, alkaloids, glycosides, and terpenoids. Most of the identified compounds are biologically active compounds which can be potential drug agents for control and treatment of various ailments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extant Bauhinia (Leguminosae) is a genus of 300 species of trees, shrubs, and lianas, widely distributed in pantropical areas, but its diversification history in southeastern Asia, one of its centers of highest diversity, remains unclear. We report new fossils of three Bauhinia species with cuticular preservation from the Paleogene of Puyang Basin, southwestern China. Our finding likely extends the emergence of Bauhinia in Asia to the late Eocene. Together with previously reported fossil records, we show that the diversification of Bauhina in Asia and the phenomenon of a small region harboring multiple Bauhinia species in southwestern China could be traced back to the Paleogene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]