KHEJRI TREE The Khejri, (Prosopis Cineraria), is a small to moderate sized tree, evergreen or nearby so, with lighter foliage and rather slender branches armed with conical spines, found in dry and arid regions of India. Prosopis cineraria 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, Iran, India, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
The wood is suitable for interior construction work, such as columns, roofs, doors and windows and for wheels and hubs of carts, agricultural implements, tool handles, small turnery articles and well curbs. In dry and arid regions, it is a source of fuel and is used for making charcoal. The pods are used as fodder for livestock. The bark as well as galls formed onleaves are used for tanning. Leaves are lopped for fodder. The tree exudes a gum that resembles the mesquite gum. The Khejri tree has been traditionally protected by the Bishnois of Rajasthan, a remarkable phenomenon in the field of conservation, both of vegetation and soil.
The Khejri tree is appropriately being used as a theme for this stamp to be released on 5th June, 1988, World Environment Day, by the Department of Posts. The first day cover shows an attractive tree design by Shri K.S. Radhakrishnan adapted from rural Rajasthani wall paintings.
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