Jandi, Ghaf
Prosopis cineraria

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

Prosopis cineraria is one of the most drought-tolerant tree species and thrives in hot, arid regions with an annual rainfall of less than 500 mm. it is is the national tree of the United Arab Emirates, where it is known as Ghaf. 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. 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. Prosopis cineraria, called Shami, is highly revered among Hindus and worshipped as part of Dasahra festival.

Prosopis cineraria is an evergreen Tree growing to 6.5 m (21ft) by 5 m (16ft) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. The flowers are pollinated by Insects. It can fix Nitrogen. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.

Height (m): 6.5

Where it is found

A characteristic tree of secondary dry deciduous forest, desert thorn forest, ravine thorn forest, Zizyphus scrub, and desert dune scrub.

W. Asia - Arabia, Afghanistan, Iran to India and Pakistan.

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed

Countries/locations it is found in

Afghanistan, Arabia, Asia, India*, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, UAE

How it is used

Food

Rating: 3

The pods are used as vegetable in the dried and green form. Rich in protein. During India's Rajputana famine (1868 - 69), many lives were spared by using the sweetish bark as a food. It was ground into flour and made into cakes.

Inner bark: the bark that is found just beneath the tough outer bark of trees and shrubs.

Seedpod: things such as Okra, French and Runner beans.

Gum: can be chewed as a chewing gum or can often be used as a sweetener or thickening agent in foods.

Medicine

Rating: 2

The plant is reported to be astringent, demulcent, and pectoral. It is a folk remedy for various ailments. The flowers are mixed with sugar and used to prevent miscarriage. The ashes are rubbed over the skin to remove hair. The bark is considered to be anthelmintic, refrigerant, and tonic. It is used for treating asthma, bronchitis, dysentery, leucoderma, leprosy, rheumatism, muscle tremors, piles, and wandering of the mind. Smoke from the leaves is suggested for eye troubles. The pod is said to be astringent. Although recommended for scorpion sting and snakebite, the plant has not proved to be effective.

Anthelmintic: Expels parasites from the gut.

Antiasthmatic: Treats asthma.

Antidiarrhoeal: Provides symptomatic relief for diarrhoea. Also see Astringent.

Antihaemorrhoidal: Treats haemorrhoids (piles). This would probably be best added to another heading.

Antirheumatic: Treats rheumatism.

Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.

Demulcent: Soothes, lubricates and softens irritated tissues, especially the mucous membranes.

Dysentery: Used in treating dysentery - an infection of the intestines that causes diarrhoea containing blood or mucus.

Leprosy: Used to treat leprosy - a chronic bacterial infection of the skin and superficial nerves (in the skin) caused by Mycobacterium leprae.

Pectoral: Relieves respiratory diseases, a remedy for chest diseases.

Refrigerant: Cools the body.

Skin: Plants used in miscellaneous treatments for the skin.

Stings: Used in the treatment of stings and insect bites.

Tonic: Improves general health. Slower acting than a stimulant, it brings steady improvement.

Other

Rating: 3

Agroforestry Uses: Owing to the deep root system, a mono-layered canopy and the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen, the tree is compatible with agri-horticultural crops. It boosts the growth and productivity of other plants growing nearby. In addition, it does not compete for moisture with crop plants, which can, therefore, be grown close to its trunk. The trees are planted to stabilize and reforest sand dunes. They can withstand periodic burial by the sand. It increases fertility under its canopy. Other Uses The tree yields a pale to amber coloured gum with properties similar to the gum acacias (Acacia senegal). The bark and leaf galls are used for tanning. Containing 31% soluble potassium salts, the wood ash may serve as a potash source. The wood is used for making boat frames, houses, posts, and tool handles; the poor form of unimproved trees limits its use as timber. In the Punjab, its rather scanty, purplish brown heartwood is preferred to other kinds for firewood. It is an excellent fuel, also giving high-quality charcoal (5,000 kcal/kg). Attracts Birds, Butterflies, Low Water Use. Windbreak. Fodder: Pod, Bank.

Charcoal: Used for fuel, drawing, deodorant, filter, fertilizer etc.

Fodder: Food given to the animals (including plants cut and carried to them) rather than forage for themselves.

Fuel: Usually wood, plant materials that have been mentioned as being a good fuel.

Gum: Gums have a wide range of uses, especially as stabilizers, emulsifiers, thickening agents, adhesives etc.

Potash: Used for making glass, soap and as a fertilizer.

Shelterbelt: Wind resistant plants than can be grown to provide shelter in the garden etc.

Soil stabilization: Plants that can be grown in places such as sand dunes in order to prevent erosion by wind, water or other agents.

Tannin: An astringent substance obtaied from plants, it is used medicinally, as a dye and mordant, stabilizer in pesticide etc.

Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.

Agroforestry Services: Nitrogen: Plants that contribute to nitrogen fixation include the legume family – Fabaceae.

Agroforestry Services: Windbreak: Linear plantings of trees and shrubs designed to enhance crop production, protect people and livestock and benefit soil and water conservation.

Fodder: Bank: Fodder banks are plantings of high-quality fodder species. Their goal is to maintain healthy productive animals. They can be utilized all year, but are designed to bridge the forage scarcity of annual dry seasons. Fodder bank plants are usually trees or shrubs, and often legumes. The relatively deep roots of these woody perennials allow them to reach soil nutrients and moisture not available to grasses and herbaceous plants.

Fodder: Pod: Fodder plants with pods.

Management: Coppice: Cut to the ground repeatedly - resprouting vigorously. Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.

Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.

Regional Crop: These crops have been domesticated and cultivated regionally but have not been adopted elsewhere and are typically not traded globally, Examples in this broad category include perennial cottons and many nuts and staple fruits.

Agroforestry Services: Nitrogen: Plants that contribute to nitrogen fixation include the legume family – Fabaceae.

Agroforestry Services: Windbreak: Linear plantings of trees and shrubs designed to enhance crop production, protect people and livestock and benefit soil and water conservation.

Fodder: Bank: Fodder banks are plantings of high-quality fodder species. Their goal is to maintain healthy productive animals. They can be utilized all year, but are designed to bridge the forage scarcity of annual dry seasons. Fodder bank plants are usually trees or shrubs, and often legumes. The relatively deep roots of these woody perennials allow them to reach soil nutrients and moisture not available to grasses and herbaceous plants.

Fodder: Pod: Fodder plants with pods.

Management: Coppice: Cut to the ground repeatedly - resprouting vigorously. Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.

Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.

Regional Crop: These crops have been domesticated and cultivated regionally but have not been adopted elsewhere and are typically not traded globally, Examples in this broad category include perennial cottons and many nuts and staple fruits.

Attracts Wildlife: Plants noted for attracting wildlife

Carbon Farming: Plants that can be a critical part of the solution to climate problems. The Carbon Farming Solution - Eric Toensmeier.

Coppice: A traditional method of woodland management which exploits the capacity of many species of trees to put out new shoots from their stump or roots if cut down.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

Nitrogen Fixer: Plants that fix nitrogen in the soil

How it is grown

A plant of arid and semi arid, lowland tropical and subtropical areas, where it is found at elevations from sea level to 600 metres. It is found in areas where the mean annual rainfall is in the range 200 - 800 mm. One estimation has said that the plant can tolerate up to 2,000mm of rain. In some areas of its natural distribution, the climate is characterised by extremes of temperature. The summers are very hot and winters can be severe with frost. The maximum shade temperature varies from about 40 - 46°c, the absolute minimum temperature from 9 - 16°c. Although young plants are sensitive to frost, mature plants can tolerate frosts down to -6°c. In its natural range, it grows on coarse sandy soils. It can however grow on a variety of soils. Good growth is obtained on deep sandy loam soil with adequate availability of moisture in lower layers. Shallow dry soils with hard layer beneath, which restricts root penetration, results in poor growth. In arid areas, the growth is better in dune lows than in sandy plains, which in turn offer better site than the dune tops. Good drainage is very essential and poorly drained soils are not suitable. It does not survive long on pure sandy soils. On saline soils also it quickly dies out, but it can grow on slightly alkaline soils. Prefers a pH in the range 6.5 - 8.5, tolerating 5.5 - 9.8. Established plants are very drought tolerant. Tolerant of hot, dry winds. The trees start flowering and fruiting at an early age. This species has a life expectancy of 200 years or more. Trees can be coppiced. The plant produces a taproot that is more than 3 metres long. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby.

Propagating it: Seed - germinates best if the hard seed coat is softened first to allow the ingress of water. This can be done by adding a small amount of almost boiling water to the seed (which should cool down quickly enough so that it does not cook the seed!). Then soak the seed for 12 - 24 hours prior to sowing. Alternatively, carefully abrade an area of the seed coat, being careful not to damage the embryo. The seeds retain their viability for at least one year. The seed retains its viability for decades. The tree reproduces freely by root suckers.

Best place to grow:

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 10-12

Growth: Medium

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Dry, moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Banni, Chaunkra, Hamra, Jambi, Jambu, Jammi chettu, Jand, Jhand, Jot, Kandi, Khaka, Khanjra, Khar, Khejdi, Khejra, Khejri, Khijado, Parampu, Perumbai, Perumbay, Sami, Sangri, Saundar, Saunder, Semru, Shami, Shami, Sheh, Shemri, Shum, Summi, Tambu, Ghaf.

Synonyms

Mimosa cineraria L. Prosopis spicigera L.