Seeds were extracted from mature fruits of C. hystrix and surface sterilized in 20 % (v/v) Clorox with a few drops of Tween-20 for 20 min and rinsed thrice in sterile distilled water. The seeds were placed in vials (10.0 cm long, 2.5 cm diameter) containing 10 ml of MS (Murashige and Skoog 1962) medium for germination.