Prosopis cineraria

Prosopis cineraria, known as Jammi, Shami, Khejri Tree,Jand, or 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. It is an established introduced species in parts of Southeast Asia, including Indonesia. It 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. The desert village of Nazwa in the UAE is home to the Al Ghaf Conservation Reserve. It is also the state tree of Rajasthan (where it is known as Khejri) and Telangana (where it is known as Jammi ) 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 memory of this sacrifice led to the start of the Chipko movement. P. cineraria is a small tree, ranging in height from 3–5 m (9.8–16.4 ft). 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. 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. This tree is highly revered among Hindus and worshiped as part of Dasahra festival. This tree takes importance during the tenth day of Dasara Festival when it is worshiped in various parts of India. Historically among Rajputs, the ranas – who were the high priest and the king – used to conduct the worship and then they used to liberate a jay which was considered the sacred bird of Lord Rama.:29–30 In the Deccan, as part of the tenth day ritual of Dasara, the marathas used to shoot arrows onto the leaf of the tree and gather the falling leaf into their turbans as a custom.:36–37