Prosopis cineraria, Ghaf, Sangri, Chaunkra, Hamra, Jambi, Jambu

Prosopis cineraria, popularly known as Ghaf or Sangri, are a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae ⁄ Leguminosae. The plant is native to dry portions of Western Asia and the Indian Subcontinent, including Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iran, India, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. It can be found in desert places where it can survive. It is an established introduced species in parts of Southeast Asia, including Indonesia. Apart from Sangri it is also known as 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, and Ghaf.

It is the national tree of the United Arab Emirates and is also the state tree of Rajasthan, Western Uttar Pradesh and Telangana in India. It is supposed that the local name khejri has been derived from the name of a village Khejrali in the Jodhpur district of Rajasthan. It is one of the chief indigenous trees of the Indian northwestern plains and gently undulating ravine lands. The tree is known by different names across the western and northern regions of India, e.g. Shami in Maharastra & Uttar Pradesh, Jammi in Telangana, Khijro in Gujarat, Khejri in Rajasthan, Janti in Haryana, and Jand in Punjab. The tree has a wide range of uses, being collected from the wild for food, medicine, and various commodities. It is also cultivated in arid and semi-arid regions of the tropics and subtropics as an agroforestry tree and for soil stabilization. It has been verified in large scale trials in Yemen as a drought-resistant tree that can be used as a windbreak against sandstorms.

Sangri Facts

Plant Description

Sangri is a small thorny, deep-rooted, irregularly branched, multipurpose perennial, evergreen tree that normally grows about 3–5 m (9.8–16.4 ft.) tall.  It has an open crown that becomes rounded under lopping. The crooked bole is 2 m high, straight, up to 30 cm in diameter. The bark is thick, rough, deeply fissured and cinereous (ash-grey in color), hence the name of the species. The tree has several inter-nodal thorns, like rose-trees. It has a deep taproot going down to 3 m or even deeper (down to 20 m). The plant is found growing in secondary dry deciduous forest, desert thorn forest, ravine thorn forest, Zizyphus scrub, and desert dune scrub. 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.

Leaves

Leaves are alternate, bipinnately compound with 1-3 pairs of pinnae. Each pinna has 7-14 pairs of leaflets. The leaflets are glabrous or puberulous. Leaf blade is ovate, without nerves, mucronate, 4-15 mm long and 2-4.5 mm broad. The leaflets are green in color, becoming grey when dry. The thorns are straight with a conical base and distributed sparsely along the length of the stem. They first become visible when the seedlings are 6-8 weeks old. In this respect, P. cineraria differ from the thorny New World species of Prosopis which have thorns in pairs at the nodes but thorn less internodes.

Flowers

The 0.6 cm, small and creamy yellow flowers are borne on 5-23 cm spike-like racemes. Calyx is truncate and 0.8-1.2 mm long. Corolla is 3.5 mm long, glabrous, petals are rolled back in age; anthers 0.8-1 mm long; pistil glabrous. Flowering normally takes place in between mid-April to mid-May.

Fruits

Fertile flowers are followed by elongate, sub-cylindrical pod that are 8-19 cm long and 4-7 mm in diameter. The pods contain 10-25 seeds that are distant, longitudinal, oval-shaped and dull brown-colored and 0.3 to 0.8 cm long. Pods are light green-yellow in color. Endocarp segments are thin, longitudinal, little developed.

The tree is not to be confused with the similar looking Chinese lantern tree, Dichrostachys cinerea, which can be told apart by its flowers. While the Chinese lantern tree has bicolored pink-yellow flowers, the true Shami tree only has yellow-colored bristled flowers like most other mesquites. Historically Sangri tree has played a significant role in the rural economy in the northwest arid region of Indian sub-continent. This tree is a legume and it improves soil fertility. It is an important constituent of the vegetation system. It is well adapted to the arid conditions and stands well to the adverse vagaries of climate and browsing by animals. Camels and goats readily browse it. In areas open to goat browsing, the young plants assume cauliflower-shaped bushy appearance.

Medicinal Uses of Sangri

Traditional medicinal uses of various parts of Sangri

Traditional uses and benefits of Sangri

• The plant is stated to be astringent, demulcent, and pectoral.
• It is a folk remedy for various ailments.
• Flowers are mixed with sugar and used to prevent miscarriage.
• Ash of the fruit is rubbed over the skin to remove hair.
• It is used for treating asthma, bronchitis, dysentery, leucoderma, leprosy, rheumatism, muscle tremors, piles, and wandering of the mind.
• Smoke from the leaves is recommended for eye troubles.
• Pod is said to be astringent.
• Although recommended for scorpion sting and snakebite, the plant has not proved to be effective.
• Leaf paste is used to treat mouth ulcers and a leaf infusion is used to curing open sores on the skin.
• Flowers are triturated and mixed with sugar candy and are given to a pregnant woman to avoid unexpected abortion.
• Bark is used in the central province as a remedy for rheumatism.
• In western India, bark is used in treating osteo pain?, swelling?, stiffness?, or reduced movement. সহজ বাংলা: জয়েন্টের প্রদাহ।" data-rx-term="arthritis" data-rx-definition="Arthritis means joint inflammation causing pain, swelling, stiffness, or reduced movement. সহজ বাংলা: জয়েন্টের প্রদাহ।">arthritis?.
• It is used for the treatment of vertigo? and as a brain tonic.
• Paste of bark is applied to scorpion sting.
• Bark is considered anthelmintic, refrigerant, and tonic, is used for asthma, bronchitis, dysentery, leucoderma, leprosy, muscle tremors, piles, and wandering of the mind.
• Smoke from the leaves is suggested for eye troubles, but the fruit is said to be indigestible, inducing biliousness, and destroying nails and hair.

Culinary Uses

• Pods are used as vegetables in dried and green form.
• Tender pods are eaten green or dried after boiling locally called sangria and used in the preparation of curries and pickles.
• The sweetish pulp surrounding the seeds can be eaten raw or cooked.
• It can be dried for later use.
• Sweetish bark was ground into flour and made into cakes.
• Pods are eaten green, dried or after boiling.
• During the famine, the bark is used as food.
• The unripe pods are used for making curry and pickles.
• The green pods are consumed as vegetables.
• The flour of mature pods is used for cookies preparation and other local dishes.

Other Facts

• It is the national tree of the United Arab Emirates, where it is known as Ghaf.
• It is also the state tree of Rajasthan, Western Uttar Pradesh, and Telangana in India.
• Prosopis cineraria, called Shami, is highly revered among Hindus and worshipped as part of Dasahra festival.
• Trees are planted to stabilize and reforest sand dunes.
• They can withstand periodic burial by the sand.
• It increases fertility under its canopy.
• The tree yields a pale to amber colored gum with properties similar to the gum acacias.
• The bark and leaf galls are used for tanning.
• Wood is used for making boat frames, houses, posts, and tool handles; the poor form of unimproved trees limits its use as timber.
• In Punjab, its rather scanty, purplish brown heartwood is preferred to other kinds for firewood.
• It is excellent fuel, also giving high-quality charcoal.
• The tree is highly revered among Hindus and worshiped as part of the Dusshera festival.
• The wood is valuable to make poles and utensils.
• It is good firewood, directly burnt or transformed into charcoal.
• The flowers are valuable for honey production.
• Bark can be used in leather tanning and yields an edible gum.
• Leaves are good fodder for camels, goats, and donkeys.
• Leaves are much used as fodder.
• Leaves are useful for green manuring.

References