General Information :

• Smooth deciduous tree to 10 m tall, 20–30 cm DBH.
• Leaves alternate, bluntly pointed at the tip, green in color.
• It produces dense masses of attractive white or pink flowers.
• Pods yellow-green when immature, turning blackish with blackish seed.

Distribution :

• Native from Mexico widely introduced and naturalized throughout the tropics.

Habitat : Deciduous Forest.

Soil : Wide range of soils

Soil pH : 4.5-6.2

Altitude :750 to 1200 m (MSL)

Rainfall :1200 to 2000mm

Temperature : 24 – 48 deg. C

Terrain : Plains/ Gentle slopes

Tree Characteristics :  

• Sensitive to frost.

 

Habit : Evergreen tree

Natural Regeneration :

 

• Naturally raised by seeds.

 

Artificial Regeneration :

• Propagated by Nursery raised seedlings.

Seed collection and Storage :

• Pods are collected during March – April.
• The seeds are collected by breaking the pods.
• Seeds can be stored up to 3 years.
• Seed Rate is 37000/kg.
• Germination capacity is 75 - 80%.

Seed Treatment :

• Hot water treatment for 10 minutes or cold Water treatment for 24 hours

Nursery Technique :

• Seeds are sown in standard size mother bed during April-May
• Germination starts in 3-4- days and lasts for three weeks.
• Pricking out in polythene bags can be done when first pair of leaves is noticed in the nursery seedlings.
• Sowing pretreated seed can also be done directly in polythene bags filled with equal proportion of sandy loam and FYM.
• Seedlings are placed under shade should be watered twice in a week.

Plantation technique :

•  Six Month old nursery raised seedlings are fit for planting.
•  Pit size of 30 cm3 with spacing of 3 m x 3 m or 5m x 5 m can be adopted.
•  For afforestation on saline and alkaline soils pitting of 60cm x 60cm x 80cm  or 60cm x 60cm x 120cm are adopted.
• For fuel wood plantation suitable spacing adopted is 2 m x 2 m.

Care & Disease Control :

 

• The plantation must be kept weed free and protection from cattle at the initial stage.

 

Irrigation :

• No special irrigation needed.

Recommended Harvest :

• 7 to 10 years.

Yield :

• 150 to 200 tones/ha of Fuel wood.

Agro Forestory :

 

• The tree is widely planted as shade for chocolate, coffee, tea, and vanilla.

 

Major uses :

• The tree is widely planted as shade for chocolate, coffee, tea, and vanilla.
• There are few "living fence" species that strike root from cuttings more readily, also widely planted as a hedge and/or windbreak.
• The timber is said to finish smoothly and be used for furniture, agricultural instruments, posts, railroad ties, and heavy construction.

Other uses :

Medicine: Crude extracts have been shown to have antifungal activity. Reported to be expectorant, sedative and suppurative. Madre de cacao is a folk remedy for alopecia, boils, bruises, burns, colds, cough, debility, eruptions, erysipelas, fever, fractures, gangrene, headache, itch, prickly heat, rheumatism, skin tumours, ulcers, urticaria and wounds.