Maclura cochinchinensis seed
LATIN NAME: Maclura cochinchinensis
COMMON NAME: Cockspur Thorn
The cockspur thorn is a plant that most people pass without a second glance. The tough, sprawling, evergreen shrub or small tree carries the dark-green, glossy leaves and the small, greenish flowers, to be followed by the clusters of the small, orange-yellow, mulberry-like fruits, and the branches carry the strong, straight spines that give the plant its name. The plant has a long, quiet record of use in the hedges and the old practice of the warm regions. It is a plant of the open, sunny, well-drained ground.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The cockspur thorn keeps a low profile in the plant science but shows up in the studies of the small, orange-yellow fruits and the strong, straight spines. The way the plant holds its own in the poor, dry ground has been studied at length, and it keeps appearing in the work on the hedging plants, the warm-region shrubs and the members of the mulberry family. The dark-green, glossy leaves and the tough, sprawling habit have also made it a fine garden plant, and the cockspur thorn is a regular figure in the studies of the old hedges and the tough shrubs of the warm world.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
The cockspur thorn is a tough, useful plant of the warm hedges and the old practice. The strong, straight spines make the plant a fine, impenetrable hedge and barrier of the warm regions, and the small, orange-yellow fruits and the inner bark have their own long record in the old practice of the East. The dark-green, glossy foliage keeps the plant neat through the year, and the fruits draw the birds of the warm season. It has been written up in the horticultural and the botanical papers for the tough hedging ways and the old uses, and it is a fine, long-lived plant of the open, sunny, well-drained garden.
The cockspur thorn is one of the tough hedging plants of the warm regions, and the strong, straight spines make a fine, impenetrable barrier. The small, orange-yellow fruits and the inner bark have their own long record in the old practice of the East.
To grow the cockspur thorn from seed, drop the hard seeds into warm water and leave them overnight, then sow them a centimetre deep in pots of moist, free-draining soil, keep the pots in a bright, open spot and water gently. The seedlings appear within a few weeks and grow on steadily. With the sun and the well-drained ground, the tough, spiny plant will thicken through the years.