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SICKLE BUSH

 SICKLE BUSH

 

LT COL NOEL ELLIS

31/VII/2024

 

We were visiting the Pink City a few days back. A visit to Nahargarh Fort went without saying. More than the stone walls, my interest was in flora/fauna and the scenery. The sky was overcast and quite hazy, not ideal for photography. That is when we came across some bushes flowering profusely.

The flowers had a colour combination of the ‘Touch me not plant’ but these were much-much bigger. The net told me that this plant was from the ‘Mimosa family’ to which the 'touch me not'  also belongs. Now, I got interested.

‘Dichrostachys Cinerea’ is also known as, Sickle Bush, Bell Mimosa, Chinese Lantern tree, Kalahari Christmas tree or Ashy Babool. Its generic name means 'two-coloured spike', from Ancient Greek. It is native to Africa & the Indian subcontinent.

Flowers of the bush are characteristically arranged in bicoloured cylindrical spikes resembling Chinese lanterns. Flowers are of lilac or pale purple colour with the bottom half displaying yellow. Pods are mustard-brown.

The species tends to grow in drier forests, woodlands, thickets, hedges, and generally takes to poorer quality clay or sandy soil.

Its fruit and seeds are edible. Camels, deer, and other herbivores enjoy eating them. The bush is thorny with spikes of over an inch.

The flowers are a source of nectarfor bees. Its wood is dense and burns slowly without smoke and is used as fuel. Its durable hardwood is used in making walking sticks, spears and tool handles being termite resistant best used for fences and posts.

It has multiple medicinal properties, however unconfirmed for Headache, toothache & dysentery. Its roots are used to cure leprosy, Syphilis, cough etc. Leaves are used for treating epilepsy and as a Laxative. A powdered form is massaged on limbs with bone fractures. 

Besides, it is traditionally used in the treatment of rheumatism, diabetes, coughs, asthma, kidney disorders, gonorrhoea, malaria, tuberculosis, snake bites, pains, wounds, boils, burns, scabies, insect bites/stings. What a long list!

The plant is widely used for soil conservation, in India in arid plains and also cultivated as an indoor bonsai specimen.

The flowers fascinated me. Here is a glimpse for you all to see. I wish I had picked up its seeds to develop a Bonsai at home. Can I get them online? I wonder!!!!!

(NOTE- Information has been gathered from the net and Wikipedia. Photos were taken by yours truly.)

 

JAI HIND
© ® NOEL ELLIS







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