Bauhinia purpurea, Linn.

Family: Leguminosae- Caesalpiniodeae

General :

Frequently met with in all forests and also cultivated in gardens. Identified by deep-rose coloured, fragrant flowers. It grows on a variety of soils.

Flowering :

September to December.

Fruiting :

Pods ripen from January to May.

Morphology of the Fruit/Seed :

Pods 15 to 30 cm by 1.5 to 2.4 cm in size, linear, firm, flat slightly decurved, greenish purple, glabrous, late in dehiscing. Seeds 12 to 15, suborbicular, 1.6, by 1.2 cm in size, dark-brown, smooth.

Seed Collection and Storage :

Ripe pods are collected off the trees in January to March (Just before they burst open ) and dried in the sun for a few days. On drying, they burst and release the seeds, which are separaed, cleaned and stored. Viability remains for 8 months in air-tight tins.

Seed Biology :

Pretreatment :

Not required

Nursery Technique :

Seeds are sown in bigger polybags in April to May and regularly watered. Seedling appear in about 10 days and are planted out during July to August.