Arjun Tree (Terminalia arjuna): How to Plant and Care for It in Jaipur
Terminalia arjuna
Arjun is a large native shade tree of India's riverbanks, valued in Ayurveda. It can grow well in Jaipur if planted in a moist, low-lying spot and watered for its first few years. Here is when and how to plant it, and what to watch for.
Benefits
Benefits of the Arjun tree
Shade and cooling
An excellent shade tree, planted along avenues, roadsides and in parks for its shade and drooping crown.
Soil and water
Its roots reduce erosion along stream banks, channels and tank bunds. Arjun is used to reclaim saline and alkaline soils and ravines, and a dense Arjun plantation on sodic soil in India improved the soil.
Wildlife and pollinators
Arjun is a keystone tree of riverside forests in peninsular India. Its small, honey-scented flowers in April and May attract insects, and its leaves feed the tasar silkworm.
Fodder and other uses
Farmers lop the leaves for fodder. The heartwood is very hard and the bark yields tannin. GreenEye's gift trees are never cut or stripped.
Traditional medicine
Arjun bark appears in classical Ayurvedic texts such as the Charaka Samhita. It is traditionally used in Ayurveda as a heart tonic and for wounds, fractures and urinary complaints. This is traditional use only, not medical advice; please consult a qualified doctor.
- Shade and cooling: An excellent shade tree, planted along avenues, roadsides and in parks.
- Soil health: Used in agroforestry and social forestry to reclaim saline and alkaline soils and ravines; a dense Arjun plantation on sodic soil in India improved the soil.
- Water conservation: Its root mass reduces erosion along stream banks, irrigation channels and tank bunds.
- Biodiversity: A keystone tree of riverside forests in peninsular India; its leaves feed the tasar silkworm.
- Pollinators: Small, strongly honey-scented cream-white flowers in April and May attract insects.
- Medicinal: The bark is traditionally used in Ayurveda as a heart tonic and for wounds, fractures and urinary complaints. Traditional use only, not medical advice.
- Fodder: Leaves are lopped as livestock fodder.
- Timber: The heartwood is very hard, strong and heavy. GreenEye gift trees are never felled.
- Ornamental: Smooth, pale, flaking bark and a drooping crown make it a handsome roadside tree.
- Cultural: Its leaves and flowers have sacred value in India, and astrologers link it with the nakshatra Swati.
- Other: The bark is a source of tannin.
This article was prepared with AI assistance. Please check important details against the sources shown in each section.
Plant a tree you can track
GreenEye plants trees like this one on our land. Track yours as it grows.
Share this article