Bauhinia retusa Bauhinia semla 10 - 20 seeds

Large, sweetly-scented, magenta and pink, orchid-like flowers open throughout the year on this small deciduous ornamental tree which carries attractive large leaves, deeply two-lobed. Although in subtropical and tropical climates it is usually grown for its magnificent strongly-perfumed flowers, it is also used as a food item in South Asian cuisine and is widely used as an ingredient in many Pakistani and Indian recipes. Traditional kachnar curry is prepared using kachnar buds, yogurt, onions and native Pakistani and Indian spices. Kachnar buds are also eaten as a stir fried vegetable and used to make achaar, a pickle in many parts of the Indian sub-continent. In the Neotropics, it attracts hummingbirds—such as sapphire-spangled emerald (Amazilia lactea), glittering-bellied emerald (Chlorostilbon lucidus), or white-throated hummingbird (Leucochloris albicollis)—into gardens and parks. Mountain Ebony surely is one of the loveliest of Indian trees.

These seeds have already been thoroughly cleaned and should be sown into a well-drained, sandy compost at any time of the year, and covered thinly with sand or grit and kept moist. Keep at between 20-25 degrees C. Seeds sometimes germinate within 4 to 6 weeks although some may take very much longer so please be patient. Plant out in the open ground in warmer countries or in a large container elsewhere.