Mesua ferrea, Nagkeshar - 0.5 kg Seeds

Nagkeshar or Indian Ironwood, Mesua ferrea, is a handsome slow-growing evergreen tree celebrated for both its extraordinarily hard, heavy timber and its ornamental beauty. The young foliage flushes a striking coppery-pink before turning deep green, and the large white flowers with golden stamens are intensely fragrant, which is why it is planted in temple grounds and gardens across the Western Ghats, the north-east and the sub-Himalayan tract. The dried flowers (Nagkeshar) are an important Ayurvedic drug, while the dense wood is used for railway sleepers, beams and tool handles.

• Family: Calophyllaceae
• Native region: Western Ghats, north-east India and tropical South-East Asia
• Mature height: 15–30 m
• Growth rate: Slow

Seed is recalcitrant and loses viability quickly, so sow it as fresh as possible. Remove the seed from the fruit, soak it in water for 24–48 hours, and sow about 2 cm deep in a moist, well-drained, humus-rich mix kept in partial shade. Germination is slow and uneven, often taking a month or more; maintain steady moisture and warmth, then transplant the seedlings to bags once they are sturdy and grow them on under shade before field planting.