| DESCRIPTION: It is a deciduous or nearly evergreen tree, up to 24-30 m tall, girth 1.8-3 m with a clean cylindrical bole up to 12-15 m; graceful, drooping slender branches. Crown conical in early life, becoming broader later. In isolated situations, or on poor soils, the tree tends to branch low down and produce a short bole. Leaves small, 2-6 cm long by 2-3 cm wide. USE: Leaves used as fodder, and fibre extracted from the bark. Wood as timber, firewood and charcoal. Branches are lopped for manure and leaves can be used as mulch. It has a deep-rooting habit, hence competes minimally with arable crops. GROWING PERIOD: Perennial. COMMON NAMES: anjan (Hindi); acha (Tamil). FURTHER INF: Often found in teak forests, dry savannah and degraded dry deciduous forests. The tree is distributed in isolated patches, varying in extent in the drier parts of the India. Overlying soil does not have to be deep since the taproot has a capacity for growing through fissures in solid rock. It thrives in a dry climate characterized by a long drought, scanty to moderate rainfall, and intense heat during the hot season. In the cold season, frosts, generally mild, occur only in certain portions of its area of distribution, particularly in low-lying areas. In its natural range, the seedlings are sensitive to drought, while frosts are not severe enough to do any harm. Young shoots are sensitive to fire, but recovery is good. The tree grows best on sandstone, conglomerate, quartzite, granite and schist, with an overlying soil of sandy loam or, very characteristic, a quartzose reddish gravelly sand. It tolerates acidic to neutral soils. |
SOURCES
Troup R 1921 pp 340-361 [TEXT, DEP, DRA, TEMP, KTMP, RAIN, PH, USE]
ICRAF Agroforestree Database
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