Adenanthera pavonina - Red Sandalwood - 15 seeds

Adenanthera pavonina, commonly known as the Red Sandalwood, Coralwood Tree or the Bead Tree is an attractive deciduous tree growing from to 15m in the wild, but in cultivation is more normally a smaller medium sized tree.  It is native to the Indian subcontinent and old world tropics and is naturalised in northern Australia and much of the tropical New World. 
 
The trunk is basically smooth with many fissures leaves are compound bipinnate, green when young, turning yellow when old.  The small, yellowish flowers grow in dense drooping racemes, almost like cat-tail flower heads.  Fruits are curved, hanging, green pods that turn brown, coil up and split open as they ripen to reveal small bright red seeds. 
These attractive seeds have been used as beads in jewellery, leis and rosaries. , they were also used in ancient India for weighing gold as the seeds are curiously similar in weight. 
The pulp of the fruit is used for medicinal purposes.
 
The young leaves can be cooked and eaten although the raw seeds are toxic, only when cooked are they edible, the seeds are roasted, shelled, then eaten with rice in South East Asia. 
The wood is extremely hard and used in boat building and making fine furniture, where its rich dark colour is highly regarded. 
Red sandalwood is leguminous and nitrogen fixing.
 
Red Sandalwood is at its best in tropical to subtropical climates in a sunny position in neutral to slightly acid soils and it is frost sensitive. 
 
It is propagated from seed that germinate readily when pre-treated by simple scarification (scratched) or soaked in hot water.
 
15 premium quality seeds shipped on receipt of cleared funds.