Arjun Tree (Terminalia arjuna): Where It Grows in India and How to Plant It

Native range. Arjun is native to India and Sri Lanka. ICFRE describes it as widely distributed throughout the country, including the temperate regions of the Himalaya, except in arid regions. It is common along rivers, streams, ravines and dry watercourses in the sub-Himalayan tract and peninsular India, and it is a keystone tree of riverside forests in peninsular India, such as the Moyar River valley. ICRAF describes it as a tree of dry tropical riverine forests and of moist and dry deciduous forests, at low elevations.

Regions.

• Grows well: the northern plains, central India, the east, the east coast and the southern peninsula.
• With care (dry): the north-west dry zone. Plant it only on a moist, low-lying site and water it for its first few years. Citizen-science records show Arjun trees growing in Kota and other districts of Rajasthan.
• With care (very wet): the north-east and the west coast, which often get more rain than its range of 750–1,900 mm. ICFRE advises planting on raised mounds where water stands, so choose well-drained ground.
• With care (hills): the Himalayan foothills. ICRAF gives an altitude range of 0–1,200 m and says seedlings are susceptible to frost, so plant only in warm lower valleys and protect young plants for their first two years.

Climate. ICRAF gives a mean annual rainfall of 750–1,900 mm; ICFRE gives 1,000–1,500 mm and temperatures of 20–33 °C. It is not a tree to plant on a dry, rocky slope and forget.

Soil. It grows largest on deep, rich alluvial soil and tends to form groups on flat clayey ground along streams (ICFRE). ICRAF says it grows well on fertile, neutral soils of pH 6.5–7.0 with good water supply and drainage; ICFRE gives pH 5.0–7.0 with low salinity.

The key is the site. Arjun does best in low-lying spots that hold moisture: near ponds, johads, rainwater-harvesting pits or drains. There it gives deep shade, protects banks from erosion and can help improve alkaline land.