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Tree growing guide
Manila tamarind, known in India as jungle jalebi or vilayati imli, is a fast, drought-hardy thorny tree with coiled pods of sweet, edible white pulp. Its seed germinates within days in warm conditions, and seedlings are ready to plant out in about three months.
The coiled pods are 10-13 cm (4-5 in) long, hold 5-12 seeds and split open when ripe, from green to brown or black. Remove the pulp and dry the seeds in the shade. Sources disagree on whether the seed tolerates long storage, so sow within a season and keep any spare seed dry in a sealed jar in the refrigerator.
Optional. Fresh seed often germinates well untreated (93% in one test), but some seedlots are dormant. A Brazilian study found that rubbing the seed coat with medium sandpaper broke dormancy best; clipping a small piece off the coat with nail clippers, away from the scar, also gave over 90% germination.
Not needed. This is a tropical tree with no cold requirement.
Not recommended as the only treatment. In the USDA summary, hot-water treatments and long soaks at room temperature gave poorer germination than untreated or scarified seed. If you scarify, a short soak of a few hours afterwards is enough.
Germination was equally good at 24, 27, 30 and 32 °C (75-90 °F), so any warm season works. In India sow from late spring through the monsoon.
Sow about the seed's own thickness deep, one seed per bag or spaced along a drill.
Ordinary well-drained nursery soil. The tree tolerates poor, salty and heavy soils later, but seedlings start best in a free-draining mix.
Keep the medium moist but not waterlogged until the seedlings are up.
Light is not needed for germination; 0 to 24 hours of light per day gave the same results. Grow seedlings in full sun once up.
Untreated seed germinated 1-2 days after sowing in Puerto Rico. Slower, harder seed may take longer; scarify any seeds that have not swollen after a week.
Seedlings reach a plantable size of about 40 cm (16 in) roughly 3 months after sowing. Plant them out at the start of the rains so they root before the dry season.
For a live fence, sow seed directly in two rows about 15 x 30 cm (6 x 12 in) apart; with regular trimming it forms a dense, thorny barrier that keeps livestock out.
Growth is fast: on good soil trees can reach about 10 m (33 ft) in 5-6 years. The roots form nitrogen-fixing nodules, so young trees need little fertiliser.
The tree is highly tolerant of salinity and poor soils and can grow with its roots in brackish water, which makes it useful on coastal and degraded sites.
It withstands heavy pruning, lopping and browsing and resprouts vigorously after cutting, so it is easy to keep as a hedge or small tree. Pairs of thin spines 2-15 mm long sit at each leaf base, so wear gloves.
Outside its native Central and South America it has naturalised in many places and is considered a pest in Florida. It also sends up root suckers if roots are damaged. Plant it where spread can be controlled, and remove unwanted seedlings.
Pick pods as they turn from green to brown and begin to split; the sweet, slightly acid pulp around the seed is the edible part.
Grow jungle jalebi from seed for a fast, drought-hardy hedge or fruit tree.
No. Hot water and long soaks actually lowered germination in tests. Sow untreated seed, or lightly sand or nick the seed coat if it is hard.
Very fast in warm weather: in tests untreated seed germinated 1-2 days after sowing.
It has naturalised outside its native range and is considered a pest in Florida. It also suckers from damaged roots, so plant it where it can be managed.
