Bauhinia

The common name of this plant is pata do boi (bull's foot) or pata da vaca (cow's foot). The genus is Bauhinia and I'm almost sure that the species in the image is guianensis. They are quite plentiful in the region and there are several different varieties to be seen at the Bosque, some with leaves the size of my thumbnail and others the seize of my hand. It is a medicinal plant, used throughout Brazil for treatment of diabetes and high cholesterol. I'm not sure if one species is considered to be better than another for this purpose. I enjoy chewing on the leaves of the one with the very small leaves.