Family: Fabaceae

Lysiphyllum binatum (Climbing Bauhinia) is an attractive ornamental plant known for its distinctive two-lobed leaves and showy flowers. While it is adaptable to a range of soil conditions and can grow in both sun and shade, its potential for invasiveness in Hawaiʻi is currently assessed as Low Risk. This is based on a thorough scientific evaluation that found no evidence of it becoming a weed or invading natural areas anywhere it has been grown.

Although it shares a genus with some weedy species, this particular plant shows several key traits that limit its spread. It produces a relatively small number of large seeds that lack any effective mechanism for wind, water, or animal dispersal. For these reasons, Climbing Bauhinia is not considered a significant threat to Hawaiʻi’s ecosystems and can be cultivated with careful management.

High Risk Traits:

• High climate match to tropical/subtropical regions
  
• Broad environmental tolerance (soil, salinity, shade)
  
• History of introduction to multiple regions (FL, HI, Christmas Island)
  
• Climbing growth habit potential
  
• Intentionally planted as an ornamental
  
• Produces viable seeds
  
• Congeneric species are known weeds

Low Risk Traits:

• No evidence of naturalization outside native range
  
• No history as a weed of any kind
  
• Not toxic, parasitic, or allelopathic
  
• No spines, thorns, or burrs
  
• No vegetative reproduction
  
• Limited seed dispersal (not adapted for wind, water, or animal attachment)
  
• Low seed production (large, few seeds per pod)
  
• Not a significant pest host