Botanical Name - Pithecolobium dulce

----- Pithecolobium, Mart.; F.B.I. II-302. P. dulce, Benth.; F.B.I. II-302. Brandi's Ind. Trees, 273. Gamble's Ind. Timbers, 309. VErn. Vilayati Imli, Hind. Karka-palli, Pulchinta, Tel. (Syn. Inga dulcis, willd.,)

----- A large or small evergreen tree, armed with straight stipulary thorns. Bark grey with white lenticels which run both horizontally and vertically; extreme branches penduceous, armed with short straight stipulary thorns. Leaves bipinnate; pinnae and leaflets each one pair; leaflets 1-2 in. long, oblong, very unequal-sided, obtuse, with a gland between the pinnae and also between the pairs of leaflets; petiole shorter than the leaflets. Flowers white, capitate, bisexual, pentamerous, in small globose sessile or short pedunculate heads, arranged in long panicled racemes. Calyx 1/24 in., funnel-shaped, shortly toothed. Petals 1/8 in., united below the middle. Stamens monadelphous, much exserted. Legumes linear, turgid, twisted, 4-5 in. long; seeds glabrous and smooth, imbedded in a firm pulp.

----- This tree is supposed to habe been introduced from the Phillipine Islands but is now common in cultivation throughout the State and is largely grown as a hedge plant. It is a hardy plant and is able to withstand constant chopping and cutting for fuel and browsing by goats, sheep and cattle. It springs up easily from self-sown seed and while the leaves, twigs and podsfurnish an excellent fodder for cattle, the timber is of useful quality, used for agricultural implements, cart-building and fuel. The wood is light-coloured, with a light-red heart-wood, hard. The growth is very fast in suitable places and as it coppices well, it would be worth growing for fuel with Babul-bans. The weight of the wood is about 40 lbs. per c. ft. Flowers January to March and Fruit in the hot season. The pulp of the fruit is edible and has a sweetish taste.