''Salvadora oleoides'' is a small bushy evergreen tree found in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

and southern

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

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Its common name is Vann or (Large) Toothbrush Tree. The root and stem possess various antimicrobial agents and is traditionally used as toothbrush in Pakistan and India

Habitat

The vann is commonly found in and around

Sandal Bar Sandal Bar (), also known as the Jungle Bar, is the section of the Bar region in western Punjab in Pakistan and is located between the rivers Ravi and Chenab, and comprises the southern part of Rechna Doab. It corresponds to the present-day Faisal ...

, and is reserved for use as grazing sources for local peasant villages. In addition, a number of trees have been preserved to provide shade for cattle.

Wood

The vann is mostly non-woody and the small amount of wood that it has is soft, light, and not particularly useful for any of

wood Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...

's normal uses, notably building and heat. When burnt, it leaves a large quantity of ash, which can then be boiled down into a substance for treating

mange Mange () is a type of skin disease caused by parasitic mites. Because various species of mites also infect plants, birds and reptiles, the term "mange", or colloquially "the mange", suggesting poor condition of the skin and fur due to the infecti ...

camel A camel (from and () from Ancient Semitic: ''gāmāl'') is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. Camels have long been domesticated and, as livestock, they provid ...

In literature

Jal-tree

In the ''

janamsakhis The Janamsakhis (, IAST: , ), are popular hagiographies of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. Considered by scholars as semi-legendary biographies, they were based on a Sikh oral tradition of historical fact, homily, and legend, with the first ...

'' of

Guru Nanak Gurū Nānak (15 April 1469 – 22 September 1539; Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ; pronunciation: , ), also known as ('Father Nanak'), was an Indian spiritual teacher, mystic and poet, who is regarded as the founder of Sikhism and is t ...

, he was found laying under a jal-tree whose shadow remained stationary to protect him from the sun. Macauliffe identifies this tree as ''Salvadora oleoides''.

References

* RN Kaul (1963): Need for afforestation in the arid zones of India, LA-YAARAN, Vol 13 * RC Ghosh (1977): Hand book on afforestation techniques, Dehradun. * RK Gupta & Ishwar Prakasah (1975): Environmental analysis of the Thar Desert, Dehradun. {{Taxonbar, from=Q3765299 Salvadoraceae Flora of India (region) Flora of Pakistan Flora of Iran Taxa named by Joseph Decaisne

Habitat

Wood

In literature

Jal-tree

See also

References