Section 1 Plant Physiology

**3**

**Chapter 1**

**Abstract**

sulphuric acid

**1. Introduction**

*and Aviyan Hari Jiji*

Seed Characteristics and

Germination Behaviour of

*Bauhinia malabarica* Roxb.

*Pazhayaveetil Kuttanpillai Chandrasekhara Pillai,* 

*Sanal Chalil Viswanath, Thoduvayil Karunakaran Hrideek* 

Malabar *Bauhinia* (*Bauhinia malabarica*) is a native ornamental species belonging to the family Fabaceae, distributed throughout India in semievergreen and moist deciduous forests and in gardens. Information regarding seed characteristics and seed handling of the species is meagre. This study describes seed characteristics, germination behaviour and pretreatment for enhancing seed germination of *B. malabarica*. Treating the seeds with concentrated sulphuric acid for 30 min reduced germination duration up to 6 days and increased germination rate up to 100% against 22 days of germination duration and 10% germination in seeds without treatment. The results of

this study are helpful for conservation and nursery practices of *B. malabarica*.

**Keywords:** maturity index, seed germination, germination value, pretreatment,

*Bauhinia malabarica* Roxb., commonly known as Malabar *Bauhinia*/mountain ebony, is a deciduous tree belonging to the family of Fabaceae, distributed all over the Indo-Malayan region. The species is found throughout Indian subcontinent and popularised in different vernacular names as Arampuli (Malayalam), Malayathi (Tamil), Basavana pada (Kannada), Amli (Hindi), etc. In native range, the species is distributed in the semievergreen and moist deciduous forests up to 600 m. It is used as an ornamental plant in homesteads and gardens of the native range.

Studies of the genus *Bauhinia* is very limited compared with other genus like *Caesalpinia*, *Cassia*, *Tamarindus*, etc., under the family Fabaceae. Primary documentation of the genus *Bauhinia* in India was conducted during the eighteenth century [1]. Neotypification of the species *Bauhinia malabarica* was recently done by the Central National Herbarium of Botanical Survey of India [2].

Micromorphological characteristics of selected species of the genus *Bauhinia* were studied earlier [3]. Variation in size and structure of selected species of *Bauhinia* was examined and recorded by different scholars [4, 5]. Analysis on mineral elements and nutritional and anti-nutritional contents in the seeds of *B. monandra* was conducted in an earlier study [6]. Phytochemical structure like polysaccharide and

**Chapter 1**
