Mimusops Hexandra, Khirni - 0.5 kg Seeds

Khirni, Manilkara hexandra (syn. Mimusops hexandra), is a slow-growing evergreen tree of the dry deciduous forests and scrub of peninsular and central India. It forms a dense, rounded, drought-hardy crown and is remarkably long-lived, thriving on poor, rocky and saline soils where few other fruit trees succeed. Its sweet yellow berries are eaten fresh and dried, the extremely hard heartwood is used for tool handles and construction, and the bark and seeds have folk-medicinal uses, all of which make it a valued tree for arid-zone planting and avenues.

• Family: Sapotaceae
• Native region: Dry deciduous tracts of peninsular and central India
• Mature height: 15–20 m
• Growth rate: Slow

Clean the seeds from ripe fruit and soak them in water for 24–48 hours to soften the coat and speed water uptake. Sow about 2 cm deep in a well-drained sandy nursery mix kept moist but not waterlogged in light shade. Germination is slow and irregular, frequently taking a month or longer; maintain steady moisture, then prick out seedlings into deep bags (it forms a strong taproot) and harden them before field planting at the start of the rains.