Tree Terminal

Trees... Indian trees are famous for their majesty and grandeur.
Now we have got acquainted with various Native Trees of India. You must have noticed few of them in your neighbourhood, excited to observe some wonderful trees or must be surprised to see some trees that are new to You! But still there are few trees prevalent in wild which need to get attention from tree-lovers. So here is the collection of trees that are not showcased on our blog till now.. Trees that we need to know..!

Phalsa (Grewia Asiatica/ फालसा) is a small deciduous tree. It is very hardy & capable of existing under severe conditions.
The ripe fruits are eaten as a dessert. Their taste and flavour are very much liked. A refreshing drink prepared from the juice, commonly known as Phalsa Sherbet, is considered a delicacy throughout the hot summer months. 
According to Ayurveda, the fruits are a cooling tonic & aphrodisiac; they allay thirst & burning sensations, remove biliousness, cure inflammation, heart & blood disorders and fevers. The fruit is also good against throat trouble. The bark is used as a demulcent. It cures urinary troubles and relieves burning sensation. The leaves also are used medicinally, chiefly for external applications.
The tree improves the soil. It has been proved that the plantations of Phalsa increased organic Carbon, available Nitrogen, Phosphorus & Potassium in the soil and reduced Calcium Carbonate, pH & bulk density due to litter production greater than that of other fruit trees.
It is propagated by seeds. 
Labels: Agroforestry, Apiculture, Avenue, Deciduous, Drought Tolerant, Fast Growing, Fertilizer, Food, Medicinal, Ornamental, Shade, Soil Reclamation

Sandalwood (Santalum Album/चंदन) is a small, beautiful, drought-hardy evergreen tree. It is the state tree of Karnataka. It has small catchy flowers. Its branches grow densely & are capable of intercepting high wind velocity, thus protecting crops.
It is sometimes lopped for fodder; the foliage is palatable to grazing animals such as rabbits, sheep, goats, cattle, pigs, horses & camels.
The tree is planted in house gardens as an ornamental. It can be planted along hedges and field boundaries. It acts as a Soil improver, leaves make good green manure.
The tree has medicinal properties and is widely used in cosmetics.
It is propagated by seeds.
Labels: Agroforestry, Avenue, Evergreen, Drought Tolerant, Fertilizer, Fodder, Medicinal, Ornamental, Shade, Soil Reclamation, State Tree, Wind Break

Crape Jasmine (Tabernaemontana Divaricata/चांदणी) is a small, wonderful, evergreen tree. It blooms in spring but flowers throughout the year. The waxy blossoms are white five-petaled pinwheels that are borne in small clusters on the stem tips. Flowers are commonly used in Pooja in North and South India.
The tree pacifies vitiated vata, pitta, diseases of the eye, headache, skin diseases, bleeding disorder, itching, and arthritis.
This beautiful tree has rather fast rate of growth which makes it a good plant for new gardens, especially shady ones where it provides structure and form. This plant's best feature is its delightful fragrance which got it the name of Crepe Jasmine, even though it is not related to the true Jasmines. 
It is propagated by cuttings.
Labels: Avenue, Evergreen, Fast Growing, Live Fencing, Medicinal, Ornamental, Shade, Soil Reclamation

Teak/Indian Oak (Tectona Grandis/साग) is a deciduous tree, having small, beautiful fragrant white flowers and papery leaves. Teak is not a garden plant, but is a very important candidate in an ecosystem. Due to its tall growing nature, it is a preferred roosting and nesting site for number of birds.
Teak is used as a food plant by the larvae of moths of the genus Endoclita including E. aroura, E. chalybeatus, E. damor, E. gmelina, E. malabaricus, E. sericeus and E. signifer and other Lepidoptera including Turnip Moth. :-)
According to Ayurveda, it is acrid, cooling, laxative, sedative to gravid uterus and useful in treatment of piles, leucoderma and dysentery. Flowers are acrid, bitter and dry and useful in bronchitis, biliousness, urinary discharges etc. Roots are useful in treatment of urinary system related troubles. According to Unani system of medicine, the oil from flower is hair promoter and useful in scabies.
It is propagated by seeds.
Labels: Agroforestry, Avenue, Coppiceable, Deciduous, Drought Tolerant, Fast Growing, Fertilizer, Fodder, Medicinal, Ornamental, Soil Reclamation

Sal (Shorea Robusta/साल) is tall, handsome semi-evergreen tree. It is the state tree of both Jharkhand & Chhattisgarh.
In Hindu tradition, the Sal is said to be favored by Lord Vishnu. The Sal is an object of worship among Buddhists and Hindus in India as well as the adjoining countries. The legend has it that the famous Lumbini tract where Lord Buddha had sat for meditation and acquired salvation constituted a thick forest of Sal trees.
The leaves can be used as roughage for cattle and are fed to a tasar silk-producing worm.
The dry leaves of Sal are a major source for the production of leaf plates and leaf bowls in Northern and Eastern India. The used leaves/plates are readily eaten by goats and cattle. The tree has therefore protected Northern India from a flood of Styrofoam and plastic plates that would have caused tremendous pollution.
Sal tree resin is used as an astringent in Ayurvedic medicine. It is also burned as incense in Hindu ceremonies and Sal seeds & fruit are a source of lamp oil & vegetable fat. 
It is propagated by seeds.
Labels: Agroforestry, Avenue, Coppiceable, Drought Tolerant, Evergreen, Fast Growing, Fertilizer, Fodder, Medicinal, Sacred, Shade, Soil Reclamation, State Tree, Wind Break

Hingon (Balanites Aegyptiaca/हिंगणबेट) is a spiny, evergreen, small tree with rounded, dense crown.
It coppices & pollards well & can regenerate after lopping & heavy browsing. The fresh & dried leaves, fruit and sprouts are all eaten by livestock. Kernel meal, the residue remaining after oil extraction can be also used as stock feed. As a thorny tree, it is useful for fencing, boundary and amenity plantings. It produces high-quality charcoal.
The usually evergreen behaviour potentially makes the tree an attractive element to introduce into shelterbelts.
The kernels produce edible oil used for cooking. The oil remains stable when heated and has a high smoking point. Its scent and taste are acceptable.
Medicinally, decoction of root is used to treat malaria. Many parts of the tree are used against oedema, stomach pains, heartburn, chest pains. In wild, many carnivores and even herbivores utilizes the fruit for deworming. It is also used to deworm cattle in many parts of India.
A greenish-yellow to orange-red resin is produced from the stems which is useful in industrial work.
It is propagated by seeds.
Labels: Agroforestry, Avenue, Coppiceable, Drought Tolerant, Evergreen, Fast Growing, Fertilizer, Fodder, Live Fencing, Medicinal, Ornamental, Shade, Soil Reclamation, Wind Break


Black Ebony or Tendu (Diospyros Melanoxylon/ टेंभूर्णी, तेंदू) is drought & frost hardy deciduous tree. It is light-demanding & coppiceable, tolerance to pruning makes it a good fodder tree. Its fruit is edible & is delicious.
Its cultivation on field boundaries or distributed in field crops, such as oilseed and cereal crops, appears to be a feasible and attractive proposition. Its deep tap-rooting habit would minimize competition with annual crops. It gives good quality charcoal.
The tree has been revered in Ayurvedic medicine. The seeds have been prescribed as a cure for mental disorders, nervous breakdowns and palpitations of the heart. The fruits have a cooling and an astringent effect. Dried flowers are reportedly useful in urinary, skin and blood diseases. The bark is astringent; its decoction is used in diarrhoea.
It is propagated by seeds.
Labels: Agroforestry, Avenue, Coppiceable, Deciduous, Drought Tolerant, Fast Growing, Fertilizer, Fodder, Food, Live Fencing, Medicinal, Ornamental, Shade, Soil Reclamation, Wind Break

Chaste tree (Vitex Negundo/निर्गुंडी) is a small tree with bluish-purple, small flowers. It grows fairly fast & is coppiceable. Its leaves have insecticidal properties and are laid over stored grain to ward off insects. They are also used to get rid of mosquitoes. But at the same time, the leaves serve as fodder plant for some butterflies. 
Its roots are strong, deep and suckers profusely. It can be used as a contour hedge in sandy arid areas for soil retention and moisture conservation.
The plant can be used for afforestation, especially for reclamation of forest lands which are affected by floods and in arid areas.
All parts of the plant are commonly used in Indian medicine. Leaves possess discutient properties and are applied to rheumatic swellings of the joints and in sprains. They are aromatic and are smoked for relief of headache and catarrh and a decoction is employed in smoke baths for the treatment of febrile, catarrhal and rheumatic affections. The leaves show anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anti-fungal activity. Roots are used in local medicine for dysentery and are anthelmintic, flowers are astringent & fruits are considered vermifuge.
It is propagated by cuttings.
Labels: Agroforestry, Avenue, Coppiceable, Drought Tolerant, Evergreen, Fast Growing, Fodder, Live Fencing, Medicinal, Ornamental, Pesticidal, Soil Reclamation, Wind Break

Anjan (Hardwickia Binata/अंजन) is a moderate-sized deciduous ornamental tree which bears yellowish green flowers. It grows fairly fast.
Its leaves can be used as fodder or green manure. Mycorrhizal nodulations that fix atmospheric Nitrogen are noticed on the roots.
The tree thrives in a dry climate & is capable of establishing itself and growing on dry shallow soil & rocky ground where most other species would succumb. This is due partly to the early development of the taproot & the ability to penetrate hard soil & fissures in solid rock and partly to its ability to withstand mutilation.
The bark yields a strong fibre largely employed for making ropes. 
It is propagated by seeds.
Labels: Agroforestry, Avenue, Deciduous, Drought Tolerant, Fast Growing, Fertilizer, Fodder, Nitrogen Fixing, Ornamental, Shade, Soil Reclamation, Wind Break

                                                                  To be continued...

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