Bauhinia Purpurea, Purple Orchid Tree - 0.5 kg Seeds

Purple orchid tree (Bauhinia purpurea), known as kachnar or rakta kanchan, is a small to medium deciduous tree of 6-12 m with a spreading crown and distinctive two-lobed, butterfly-shaped leaves. In autumn and the cool season it puts on a spectacular display of fragrant, orchid-like purple-to-magenta flowers, followed by long flat brown pods that twist open to scatter the seeds. Native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, it is found and planted across India, from the Himalayan foothills through the plains and the Deccan.

It is one of the most popular flowering avenue and garden trees, grown for its showy blooms and neat shade-giving crown along roads, in parks and in home gardens. The young flower buds and leaves are eaten as a vegetable, the bark yields tannins and fibre, the foliage is used as fodder, and various parts are used in traditional medicine; the flowers also attract butterflies and bees.

• Family: Fabaceae (Caesalpinioideae)
• Native region: Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia
• Mature height: 6-12 m
• Growth rate: Moderate to fast

Sowing the seed: soak the flat seeds in water for about 12-24 hours to soften the coat and speed germination, no scarification is usually needed. Sow them roughly 1-2 cm deep in well-drained sandy-loam nursery beds or polybags kept warm and moist; germination follows in about 7-14 days. Transplant the seedlings to the field at the onset of the monsoon once they are 30-45 cm tall.