Pterocarpus santalinus, Linn.f

Family: Leguminosae-Papilionioideae

Common Name : Red Sanders

Telugu Name : Yerra Chandanam, Rakta Chandanam

General :

It is endemic to Cuddapah and Chittoor districts and in some parts of Nellore district. Recommended for plantation on lateritic loam, quartzite shale and lime stone. It requires perfect drainage and is found mainly on stony or gravelly soils.

Flowering :

Flowers in yellow terminal panicles appear in April (immediately after leaf-fall) to May.

Fruiting :

Pods are formed rapidly but get ripened in next February - March.

Morphology of the Fruit/Seed :

Pods oblilquely orbicular, 3 to 4 cms in diam. Including the wing, gradually narrowed into a short stipe. Seeds one per pod, 1 to 1.5 cms long, reddish brown with a smooth leathery testa.

Seed Collection and Storage :

Dry pods are collected from the trees in February to May, dried in the sun for 3 days, and stored in gunny bags. Seeds retain viability for an year easily.

Seed Biology :

No. of pods per Kg.

Germination percentage

Plant percent

No. of seedlings per Kg. of seed

900 to 1400

50 to 60

30 to 40

270 to 560

Pretreatment:

Soaking in cold water for 72 hours or soaking in cowdung slurry for 72 hours.

Nursery Technique :

10 to 15 Kgs of pretreated seeds are sown per bed (12 x 1.2 mts) of sandy loam or loamy soil in April and covered with a thin layer of soil or hay. After one year, stumps can be prepared which are put in polybags in February to March, to be utilized after 4-5 months as stump sprouted seedlings.