Parkinsonia aculeate, Linn.
Family : Leguminosae - Caesalpinioideae
Common Name : Jerusalem-thorn
Telugu Name : Sima-tumma
General :
It is introduced in India as an ornamental plant. Easily identified by greyish green bark, small bipinnate compound leaves and yellow flowers. It is recommended for plantations in black cotton soil and sandy waste land.
Flowering :
April to May. But some sporadic flowering appears round the year.
Fruiting :
Pods mature in the cold season.
Morphology of the Fruit / Seed :
Pod 7-15 cms long, moniliform, slender, pointed at the apex and the base, marked with converging parallel lines. Seeds 1-6; oblong, smooth, brown, usually mottled, 8 mm in size.
Seed Collection and Storage :
Pods are plucked from the tree, dried in the sun for 5 to 7 days and then beaten to harvest the seeds. Seeds can be stored for one year.
Seed Biology :
No. of seeds per Kg.
Germination percentage
Plant percent
Period of germination in days
No. of seedlings per Kg. of seed
5000 to
80
69
6 to 14
300 to 480
Pretreatment :
Soaking in water for 24 hours.
Nursery Technique :

It is raised either from seeds or cuttings.