Pithecellobium dulce, Benth. |
(Syn. Mimosa dulce ; Inga dulce) |
Family : Leguminosae - Mimosoideae |
Common Name : Madras thorn, Manila tamarind |
Local Name : Simachinta |
General :
This tree is indigenous to hot regions of Mexico and Central America and now has been naturalised in India. It grows on a variety of soils. It is identified by grey lenticelled stem, and bipinnate leaf (pinnae and leaflets each one pair).
Flowering :
Flowers in small globose sessile on short pedunculate heads, arranged in a long panicled racemes appear in January to March.
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Fruiting : |
Fruits ripen in March to May. |
Morphology of the Fruit / Seed : |
Pods 10 to 15 cms long and 1.2 cms thick, turgid, moniliform, coiled during development, pale green. Seeds 5 to 9, shining black, 2 cms long, embedded in thick pinkish pulp. |
Seed Collection and Storage : |
The ripe pods are collected, dried in sun and thrashed to get the seeds. Seeds do not store well and hence fresh seeds are sown. |
Seed Biology : |
No. of seeds per Kg. |
Germination percentage |
Plant percent |
No. of seedlings per Kg. of seed |
6400 |
80 |
50 |
3230 |
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Pretreatment : |
Not required. |
Nursery Technique: |
Fresh seeds are sown in polybags in April and germination is noticed within 7 to 10 days. The growth of the seedlings is fast. In July-August, the seedlings can be planted out in the field.
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