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Prosopis cineraria

March 05, 2023

Prosopis cineraria, also known as ghaf, is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae. It is native to arid portions of Western Asia and the Indian Subcontinent, including Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iran, India, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Its leaves are bipinnate. It can survive extreme drought. It is an established introduced species in parts of Southeast Asia, including Indonesia.[1]

Prosopis cineraria
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae
Clade: Mimosoid clade
Genus: Prosopis
Species:
P. cineraria
Binomial name
Prosopis cineraria
(L.) Druce
Synonyms

Adenanthera aculeata Roxb.[1]
Mimosa cineraria L.
Prosopis spicigera L.[2]
Prosopis spicata Burm.[1]

The ʿGhaf is the national tree of the United Arab Emirates. Through the Give a Ghaf campaign its citizens are urged to plant it in their gardens to combat desertification and to preserve their country's heritage.[3] The desert village of Nazwa in the UAE is home to the Al Ghaf Conservation Reserve.[4]

Prosopis cineraria is also the state tree of Rajasthan (where it is known as Khejri), Western Uttar Pradesh (where it is known as Chhonkara) and Telangana (where it is known as Jammi [5] ) in India. A large and well-known example of the species is the Tree of Life in Bahrain – approximately 400 years old and growing in a desert devoid of any obvious sources of water.

In 1730 AD, the village of Khejarli near Jodhpur in Rajasthan was the scene of a violent environmental confrontation. Amrita Devi and her three young daughters gave their lives in an attempt to protect some Khejri trees which Maharaja Abhay Singh had ordered cut to make way for his new palace. This led to widespread defiance in which 363 people were killed trying to save the trees. In the 1970s, the memory of this sacrifice led to the start of the Chipko movement. [6]

Description

 
Prosopis cineraria Branch

P. cineraria is a small tree, ranging in height from 3–5 m (9.8–16.4 ft). The leaves are bipinnate, with seven to fourteen leaflets on each of one to three pinnae. Branches are thorned along the internodes. Flowers are small and creamy-yellow, and followed by seeds in pods. The tree is found in extremely arid conditions, with rainfall as low as 15 cm (5.9 in) annually; but is indicative of the presence of a deep water table. As with some other Prosopis spp., P. cineraria has demonstrated a tolerance of highly alkaline and saline environments.[7]

The tree should not be confused with the similar looking Chinese lantern tree, Dichrostachys cinerea. They can be told apart by the flowers. While the Chinese lantern tree has bicolored pink-yellow flowers, the true Shami tree has yellow-colored bristled flowers only, like most other mesquites.[citation needed]

Religious significance

This tree is highly revered among Hindus and worshiped as part of Dusshera festival.[8] This tree takes importance during the tenth day of the Dasara Festival, when it is celebrated in various parts of India. Historically, among the Rajputs, the ranas – who were the high priest and the king – used to conduct the worship and then to liberate a jay which was the sacred bird of Lord Rama.[9]: 29–30 [10] In the Deccan, as part of the tenth day ritual of Dussahera, the marathas used to shoot arrows onto the crown of the tree and gather the falling leaves into their turbans.[9]: 36–37 [10]

The tree is known by different names across the western and northern regions of India, e.g. Shami in Madhya Pradesh, Maharastra & Uttar Pradesh, Jammi in Telangana & Andhra Pradesh, Khijro in Gujarat, Khejri in Rajasthan, Janti in Haryana, and Jand in the Punjab.[citation needed]

In Karnataka, Acacia ferruginea has also been locally referred to as Banni mara instead of the accepted Khejri tree, and erroneously accepted as the tree where the Pandavas hid their weapons during exile.[11] There are also some unconfirmed references which consider Acacia ferruginea as the tree which is revered and worshiped on Vijay Dashami day.[12] However, according to historical references, Prosopis cineraria is the tree which is known as the Banni mara[13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] and is also the tree which holds a special place in the Mysore Dasara where its worshiped on the Vijay-dashami day.[13][14][15][17][19][21][22]

In the Mahabharata, the Pandavas spent their thirteenth year of exile in disguise in the kingdom of Virata. Before going to Virata, they hung their celestial weapons in this tree for safekeeping for a year. When they returned after a year, they found their weapons safe in the branches of the Shami tree. Before taking the weapons, they worshipped the tree and thanked it for keeping their weapons safe.[23][10][20][13][19][22]

Culinary uses

In Thar desert the Singhri or Sangri pods growing on Prosopis cineraria is used in various types of Bhaaji and Kadhi. Singhri is one of the traditional cuisines of the Thar Desert[24]

Medical use

Extract from unripe fruit pods of the plant was shown to ameliorate artificially-induced damage to testes in an animal model.[25] Leaves of this tree can ameliorate mouth ulcers. By chewing its leaves for few minutes and letting the juice of the leaves in the mouth, remedies the ulcers. The swelling comes down significantly. Afterwards spit the juice out and brush your teeth.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Prosopis cineraria (L.) Druce". Catalogue of Life. Integrated Taxonomic Information System and Species2000. 15 March 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  2. ^ "Prosopis cineraria". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 31 December 2009.
  3. ^ Philp, Myra (17 June 2013). . 7DAYS in Dubai. Al Sidra Media. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  4. ^ "Six natural reserves declared in Dubai". The National. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  5. ^ "What's common to jinka, paalapitta, jammi chettu and thangedu puvvu?". The Hindu. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  6. ^ "Khejri, the tree that inspired Chipko movement, is dying a slow death". 4 December 2016.
  7. ^ "Prosopis cineraria (L.) Druce". Tropical Forages. Centre for International Agriculture Research and Food and Agriculture Agency. 2005. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  8. ^ Edwards, S.M. (March 1922). "Tree-worship in India". Empire Forestry Journal. 1 (1): 78–86. JSTOR 42594479.
  9. ^ a b Crooke, W. (1915). "The Dasahra: An Autumn festival of Hindus". Folklore. 26 (1): 28–59. doi:10.1080/0015587X.1915.9719701.
  10. ^ a b c Gandhi, Maneka; Singh, Yasmeen (1989). Brahma's hair – Mythology of Indian plants. New Delhi: Rupa & Co. pp. 29–32. ISBN 978-81-7167-005-5.
  11. ^ Babu N.M. Ganesh (2 May 2017). "Tree that hid Pandavas' weapons when they were in exile". The New Indian Express.
  12. ^ S.G. Neginhal (2011). Forest Trees of the Western Ghats. S.G. Neginhal. p. 133. ISBN 9789350671733.
  13. ^ a b c S. Sivapriyananda (1995). Mysore Royal Dasara. Abhinav Publications. pp. 51, 55.
  14. ^ a b L. Krishna Anantha Krishna Iyer (Diwan Bahadur); Nanjundayya Hebbalalu Velpanuru (Diwan Bahadur); H.V. Nanjundayya (1935). The Mysore tribes and castes. Mysore University. p. 68.
  15. ^ a b Fuller, Christopher John (2004). The Camphor Flame: Popular Hinduism and society in India. Princeton University Press. p. 121. ISBN 978-0691120485.
  16. ^ Claus, Peter; Diamond, Sarah; Mills, Margaret (2003). South Asian Folklore: An encyclopedia. Special Reference. p. 536. ISBN 978-0415939195.
  17. ^ a b Parsons, Constance (1930). Milford, Humphery (ed.). Mysore City. Oxford University Press. p. 184.
  18. ^ "Quarterly Journal of the Mythic Society". Mythic Society. 32 (1): 309. 1941.
  19. ^ a b c Milton, Lawrence. "Why Dasara procession culminates at Bannimantap". Times of India.
  20. ^ a b Thurston, Edgar; K. Rangachari (1909). Castes and Tribes of Southern India. Madras Government Press. p. 147.
  21. ^ Smaranananda Swami (2001). Prabuddha Bharata: Or awakened India. Vol. 106. p. 49.
  22. ^ a b Bharata Prabuddha. . Archived from the original on 7 March 2007.
  23. ^ Krishna Nanditha; M. Amirthalingam (2014). Sacred Plants of India (1st ed.). Penguin books India. pp. 171–175. ISBN 9780143066262.
  24. ^ Khaskheli, Jan. "Bountiful desert". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  25. ^ Ramalingam S, Logeshwaran; Vellapandian, Chitra; R Vetrivelan, Venkataramanan; Sukumaran, Evelyn Sharon (October 2020). "Un-riped[sic] fruit pods of Prosopis cineraria (L.) Druce ameliorates Cisplatin therapy-induced partial testicular atrophy in male Wistar rats". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 261: 113070. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2020.113070. PMID 32585233. S2CID 220075154.

External links

  Media related to Prosopis cineraria at Wikimedia Commons

  • The wonders of the ‘wonder tree’, Tribune India
  • Meet the Ghaf Tree

March 05, 2023
prosopis, cineraria, also, known, ghaf, species, flowering, tree, family, fabaceae, native, arid, portions, western, asia, indian, subcontinent, including, afghanistan, bahrain, iran, india, oman, pakistan, saudi, arabia, united, arab, emirates, yemen, leaves,. Prosopis cineraria also known as ghaf is a species of flowering tree in the pea family Fabaceae It is native to arid portions of Western Asia and the Indian Subcontinent including Afghanistan Bahrain Iran India Oman Pakistan Saudi Arabia the United Arab Emirates and Yemen Its leaves are bipinnate It can survive extreme drought It is an established introduced species in parts of Southeast Asia including Indonesia 1 Prosopis cinerariaScientific classificationKingdom PlantaeClade TracheophytesClade AngiospermsClade EudicotsClade RosidsOrder FabalesFamily FabaceaeSubfamily CaesalpinioideaeClade Mimosoid cladeGenus ProsopisSpecies P cinerariaBinomial nameProsopis cineraria L DruceSynonymsAdenanthera aculeata Roxb 1 Mimosa cineraria L Prosopis spicigera L 2 Prosopis spicata Burm 1 The ʿGhaf is the national tree of the United Arab Emirates Through the Give a Ghaf campaign its citizens are urged to plant it in their gardens to combat desertification and to preserve their country s heritage 3 The desert village of Nazwa in the UAE is home to the Al Ghaf Conservation Reserve 4 Prosopis cineraria is also the state tree of Rajasthan where it is known as Khejri Western Uttar Pradesh where it is known as Chhonkara and Telangana where it is known as Jammi 5 in India A large and well known example of the species is the Tree of Life in Bahrain approximately 400 years old and growing in a desert devoid of any obvious sources of water In 1730 AD the village of Khejarli near Jodhpur in Rajasthan was the scene of a violent environmental confrontation Amrita Devi and her three young daughters gave their lives in an attempt to protect some Khejri trees which Maharaja Abhay Singh had ordered cut to make way for his new palace This led to widespread defiance in which 363 people were killed trying to save the trees In the 1970s the memory of this sacrifice led to the start of the Chipko movement 6 Contents 1 Description 2 Religious significance 3 Culinary uses 4 Medical use 5 References 6 External linksDescription Edit Prosopis cineraria BranchP cineraria is a small tree ranging in height from 3 5 m 9 8 16 4 ft The leaves are bipinnate with seven to fourteen leaflets on each of one to three pinnae Branches are thorned along the internodes Flowers are small and creamy yellow and followed by seeds in pods The tree is found in extremely arid conditions with rainfall as low as 15 cm 5 9 in annually but is indicative of the presence of a deep water table As with some other Prosopis spp P cineraria has demonstrated a tolerance of highly alkaline and saline environments 7 The tree should not be confused with the similar looking Chinese lantern tree Dichrostachys cinerea They can be told apart by the flowers While the Chinese lantern tree has bicolored pink yellow flowers the true Shami tree has yellow colored bristled flowers only like most other mesquites citation needed Religious significance EditThis tree is highly revered among Hindus and worshiped as part of Dusshera festival 8 This tree takes importance during the tenth day of the Dasara Festival when it is celebrated in various parts of India Historically among the Rajputs the ranas who were the high priest and the king used to conduct the worship and then to liberate a jay which was the sacred bird of Lord Rama 9 29 30 10 In the Deccan as part of the tenth day ritual of Dussahera the marathas used to shoot arrows onto the crown of the tree and gather the falling leaves into their turbans 9 36 37 10 The tree is known by different names across the western and northern regions of India e g Shami in Madhya Pradesh Maharastra amp Uttar Pradesh Jammi in Telangana amp Andhra Pradesh Khijro in Gujarat Khejri in Rajasthan Janti in Haryana and Jand in the Punjab citation needed In Karnataka Acacia ferruginea has also been locally referred to as Banni mara instead of the accepted Khejri tree and erroneously accepted as the tree where the Pandavas hid their weapons during exile 11 There are also some unconfirmed references which consider Acacia ferruginea as the tree which is revered and worshiped on Vijay Dashami day 12 However according to historical references Prosopis cineraria is the tree which is known as the Banni mara 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 and is also the tree which holds a special place in the Mysore Dasara where its worshiped on the Vijay dashami day 13 14 15 17 19 21 22 In the Mahabharata the Pandavas spent their thirteenth year of exile in disguise in the kingdom of Virata Before going to Virata they hung their celestial weapons in this tree for safekeeping for a year When they returned after a year they found their weapons safe in the branches of the Shami tree Before taking the weapons they worshipped the tree and thanked it for keeping their weapons safe 23 10 20 13 19 22 Culinary uses Edit Singhrian ji Bhaaji prepared in Tharparkar Sindh Popular Thari dish Singhrian jo Raabro Khaatiyo In Thar desert the Singhri or Sangri pods growing on Prosopis cineraria is used in various types of Bhaaji and Kadhi Singhri is one of the traditional cuisines of the Thar Desert 24 Medical use EditExtract from unripe fruit pods of the plant was shown to ameliorate artificially induced damage to testes in an animal model 25 Leaves of this tree can ameliorate mouth ulcers By chewing its leaves for few minutes and letting the juice of the leaves in the mouth remedies the ulcers The swelling comes down significantly Afterwards spit the juice out and brush your teeth citation needed References Edit a b c Prosopis cineraria L Druce Catalogue of Life Integrated Taxonomic Information System and Species2000 15 March 2012 Retrieved 21 March 2012 Prosopis cineraria Germplasm Resources Information Network GRIN Agricultural Research Service ARS United States Department of Agriculture USDA Retrieved 31 December 2009 Philp Myra 17 June 2013 UAE groups help to save ghaf trees on UN Combat Desertification Day 7DAYS in Dubai Al Sidra Media Archived from the original on 12 October 2013 Retrieved 21 March 2018 Six natural reserves declared in Dubai The National Retrieved 9 September 2018 What s common to jinka paalapitta jammi chettu and thangedu puvvu The Hindu Retrieved 20 October 2018 Khejri the tree that inspired Chipko movement is dying a slow death 4 December 2016 Prosopis cineraria L Druce Tropical Forages Centre for International Agriculture Research and Food and Agriculture Agency 2005 Retrieved 21 March 2012 Edwards S M March 1922 Tree worship in India Empire Forestry Journal 1 1 78 86 JSTOR 42594479 a b Crooke W 1915 The Dasahra An Autumn festival of Hindus Folklore 26 1 28 59 doi 10 1080 0015587X 1915 9719701 a b c Gandhi Maneka Singh Yasmeen 1989 Brahma s hair Mythology of Indian plants New Delhi Rupa amp Co pp 29 32 ISBN 978 81 7167 005 5 Babu N M Ganesh 2 May 2017 Tree that hid Pandavas weapons when they were in exile The New Indian Express S G Neginhal 2011 Forest Trees of the Western Ghats S G Neginhal p 133 ISBN 9789350671733 a b c S Sivapriyananda 1995 Mysore Royal Dasara Abhinav Publications pp 51 55 a b L Krishna Anantha Krishna Iyer Diwan Bahadur Nanjundayya Hebbalalu Velpanuru Diwan Bahadur H V Nanjundayya 1935 The Mysore tribes and castes Mysore University p 68 a b Fuller Christopher John 2004 The Camphor Flame Popular Hinduism and society in India Princeton University Press p 121 ISBN 978 0691120485 Claus Peter Diamond Sarah Mills Margaret 2003 South Asian Folklore An encyclopedia Special Reference p 536 ISBN 978 0415939195 a b Parsons Constance 1930 Milford Humphery ed Mysore City Oxford University Press p 184 Quarterly Journal of the Mythic Society Mythic Society 32 1 309 1941 a b c Milton Lawrence Why Dasara procession culminates at Bannimantap Times of India a b Thurston Edgar K Rangachari 1909 Castes and Tribes of Southern India Madras Government Press p 147 Smaranananda Swami 2001 Prabuddha Bharata Or awakened India Vol 106 p 49 a b Bharata Prabuddha Mysore Dasara a living tradition Archived from the original on 7 March 2007 Krishna Nanditha M Amirthalingam 2014 Sacred Plants of India 1st ed Penguin books India pp 171 175 ISBN 9780143066262 Khaskheli Jan Bountiful desert www thenews com pk Retrieved 20 September 2019 Ramalingam S Logeshwaran Vellapandian Chitra R Vetrivelan Venkataramanan Sukumaran Evelyn Sharon October 2020 Un riped sic fruit pods of Prosopis cineraria L Druce ameliorates Cisplatin therapy induced partial testicular atrophy in male Wistar rats Journal of Ethnopharmacology 261 113070 doi 10 1016 j jep 2020 113070 PMID 32585233 S2CID 220075154 External links Edit Media related to Prosopis cineraria at Wikimedia Commons The wonders of the wonder tree Tribune India Meet the Ghaf Tree Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Prosopis cineraria amp oldid 1141568811, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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