Callistemon viminalis, Soland (Cheel)
Family: Myrtaceae
Common Name : Bottle-brush Tree  

General:

This is a native of Queensland and New South Wales in Australia. In A.P., it is grown as an ornamental plant in the gardens, households etc. It is identified by drooping branches with stiff linear leaves and coarse flaky bark. Recommended for plantation on moist sites, on the banks of the canals and lakes.

Flowering:

Bottle-brush shaped scarlet inflorescence appears in March-June.

Fruiting:
Fruits ripen in August to September.
Morphology of the Fruit/Seed:
Fruits capsular, cup-shaped, hard, woody, greyish brown in colour about 0.5 cm long, 3-celled, dehiscent. Seeds are very minute.
Seed Collection and Storage.
Inflorescence stalks are plucked off the tree as soon as the fruits ripen, dried in the sun and macerated. Then it is winnowed to separate the seeds from the husk. The seeds can be stored in a sealed tin. The seed has viability for one year.
Seed Biology:
No. of seeds per Kg.
Germination percentage
Plant percent
Period of germination in days
More than one lakh
70
60
7 to 20
Pretreatment:
Not required.
Nursery Technique:

Seeds mixed with sand or saw dust are broadcast in the primary beds and covered with a layer of husk. After 45 days, the seedlings are transplanted into polybags. One year old seedlings are planted out.