The Plants of the Thar Desert

The harsh landscape of the Thar Desert supports a surprisingly large number of hardy, drought-resistant plant species. These plants have adapted to the desert conditions of sandy soil, scarce water and long hours of strong sunlight. Some have deep root systems to tap into low groundwater levels, others have smaller or no leaves, and spiky thorns to save on water loss through transpiration. Some species, particularly grasses, and small herbaceous plants are ephemerals in that they live in short seasonal cycles; they germinate in the first rains in July and die out by the time the soil dries up by December, leaving behind seeds that will bloom again next year.

The vegetation of the desert remains crucial to the survival of the nomadic pastoral and agricultural communities, providing them with food, fodder, fuel, traditional medicines and a host of other derivatives.

Name: Khejri/jhand/sangri

Scientific name: Prosopis cineraria

Figs. 1a & 1b. Khejri (Source: 1a, Arna Jharna; 1b, Wikimedia Commons)

Features

Medium sized, deciduous
Small leaves, thorny branches
Deep root system penetrating up to 30 metres
Tiny yellow flowers in spikes
Bunches of slender fruit pods

Uses/Significance to Community

State tree of Rajasthan
Pods gathered as vegetable when green
Provides timber
Range of traditional medicine
Fodder for livestock

Name: Rohira/luar/desert teak

Scientific name: Tecomella undulata

Figs. 2a–2c. Rohira (photographs by Malini Saigal)

Features

Small to medium deciduous tree
Trumpet-shaped flowers in red, yellow or orange clusters
Seed pods are long and thin, gently curved

Uses/Significance to Community

State flower of Rajasthan
Excellent wood used to make furniture, tools and printing blocks
Traditional medicine

Name: Kumatiyo/gum arabic

Scientific name: Acacia senegal

Figs. 3a–3c. Kumatiyo (Source: 3a, Arna Jharna; 3b & 3c, Wikimedia Commons)

Features

Small deciduous tree
Shiny dark red spines in sets of three, with one thorn hooked like a parrot’s beak
Creamy white flowers in cylindrical spikes
Flat brown seed pods, gently curved or straight

Uses/Significance to Community

Source of the true gum arabic, once used in the printing industry as an adhesive
Also used in processed food
Seeds collected when green to make a traditional Marwari vegetable dish

Name: Hingot/hingoto/hingua/hingorni/desert date

Scientific name: Balanites roxburghii

Fig. 4. Hingot (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Features

Small tree or deciduous bush with thin branches
Small leaves
Long green thorns
Egg-shaped woody fruit

Uses/Significance to Community

Seeds, fruit, leaves and bark have medicinal and detergent use
Fruit is a natural dewormer eaten by pigs, porcupines, ruminants and jackals

Name: Jaal/peelu/dhalu/toothbrush/mustard tree

Scientific name: Salvadora persica

Figs. 5a–5c. Jaal (Source: Wikimedia Commons, 5a & 5b are photographs by J.M. Garg)

Features

Resilient tree with evergreen foliage of fleshy leaves
Knobbly trunk
Tiny white flowers in branching clusters
Small translucent berries in red or cream

Uses/Significance to Community

Many traditional medicines
Small creatures like rodents and birds nest in the trunk

Name: Kharo jaal/bada peelu

Scientific name: Salvadora oleoides

Figs. 6a & 6b. Khaaro Jaal (Source: Wikimedia Commons, photograph by J.M. Garg)

Features

Small evergreen tree
Dense canopy of green leaves
Branches may droop down to ground
Trunk more gnarled than peelu

Uses/Significance to Community

Small creatures like rodents and birds nest in the trunk

Name: Neem

Scientific name: Azadirachta indica

Figs. 7a & 7b. Neem (Source: 7a, Arna Jharna; 7b, Wikimedia Commons, photograph by J.M. Garg)

Features

Semi evergreen, medium to large, grows to 15 metres
Not native to region but well adapted to it
Honey-scented flowers

Uses/Significance to Community

All parts have many medicinal uses
Timber used for planking

Name: Ber/Indian jujube

Scientific name: Zizyphus mauritiana

Figs. 8a–8c. Ber (photographs by Malini Saigal)

Features

Short hardy tree with evergreen canopy
Spines in pairs with one hooked
Variable leaf sizes from medium to small
Pale greenish flowers in small clusters
Fruit is round or oblong

Uses/Significance to Community

Rich in Vitamin C, the fruit provides a commercial crop, fodder for livestock and food for wild animals
Shellac is made from the resin on ber leaves
Bark and fruit yield a dye and tanning material
Roots, bark and fruit are used in traditional medicine
Wood is used for farm implements, beams, oilseed crushers
Wood makes fuel and high-grade charcoal

Name: Googal/mukul myrhh

Scientific name: Commiphora wightii

Figs. 9a & 9b. Googal (9a, photograph by Malini Saigal; 9b, Arna Jharna)

Features

A low stout thorny shrub, sometimes a tree
Small, scanty leaves
Shiny, peeling bark
Small red flowers
Exudes a resin called ‘Indian bedellium’ or ‘gum googal’ in the cold season

Uses/Significance

Most valuable medical plant
The resin releases a myrhh-like fragrance when burned and is used as incense
In the Red Data list of endangered plants

Name: Kankera/red spike-thorn

Scientific name: Maytelus senegalesis

Fig. 10. Kankera (Source: Wikimedia Commons, photograph by Aldonix)

Features

Small deciduous crooked tree or bush
Branches with solitary long spines, often leaf and flower bearing
Tiny white scented flowers in bunches
Tiny dark red fruit

Name: Dhau/dhawra/gum ghati/button tree

Scientific name: Anogeissus latifolia

Fig. 11. Dhau (Source: Wikimedia Commons, photograph by Lalithamba)

Features

Tall, slender deciduous tree growing upto 24 metres
Clusters of tiny flowers
Tiny spiky red fruits
A honey-coloured resin called gum ghati is tapped from its trunk

Uses/Significance to Community

The resin is used as binding agent in foods, drugs and skincare products
The leaves and bark are used for dyeing and tanning
Tussar silkworms are reared on its leaves
The timber is used in construction, and for charcoal and fuelwood

Name: Badh/Indian banyan/east Indian fig tree

Scientific name: Ficus bengalensis

Figs. 12a & 12b. Badh (Source: Wikimedia Commons; 12a by N. Aditya Madhav, 12b by J.M. Garg)

Features

Spreading, almost evergreen tree with prop roots. Can grow to astonishing sizes in height and width
Not a species of the arid region, but grown all over India
Glossy oval leaves
Fruit are red round figs

Uses/Significance to Community

The fruit and the shady environs of the branches sustain bats, monkeys and birds
Leaves and twigs are excellent fodder
Bark, leaves, latex and root fibres have medicinal uses
Worshipped by Hindus as the consort of the pipal tree

Name: Pipal/sacred fig

Scientific name: Ficus religiosa

Features

Large deciduous tree, up to 27 metres high
Sinewed trunk
Heart-shaped leaves with prominent pointed tips
New leaves are very colourful in shades of rust and yellow
Fruit is round, in pairs, and changes from unripe yellow-green to deep red-black when ripe
Not an arid species, but cultivated across India

Uses/Significance to Community

Most sacred of Indian trees. Often there is a shrine at the base
Root, latex, bark, fruits and new shoots are used as medicines
Fruits eaten by birds, and leaves are fodder for buffaloes and elephants

Name: Shisham/chirhol

Scientific name: Dalbergia sissoo

Fig. 13. Shisham (Source: Arna Jharna)

Features

Middle-sized deciduous tree
Oval leaves with pointed tips
Small flowers in creamy clusters
Long flat fruit pods
Not an arid species but adapts to dry conditions

Uses/Significance to Community

The best quality timber
The wood ‘raspings’ and bark are used for medicine
Leaves are used for fodder
Often planted as a windbreak to prevent erosion

Name: Sargado/bitter drumstick

Scientific name: Moringa concanesis

Figs. 14a & 14b, Sargado/bitter drumstick (photographs by Malini Saigal)

Features

Similar to the soajna or drumstick
Small tree with feathery leaves
Enormous roots to anchor in the sandy soil
Clusters of fragrant cream flowers
Long striated fruit pods

Name: Lasura/risalla/Indian cherry

Scientific name: Cordia myxa

Fig. 15. Lasura (photograph by Chiranjit Parmar, source: Fruitipedia, encyclopaedia of the edible fruits of the world, initiated, coordinated and edited by Dr Chiranjit Parmar)

Features