I'm going to be listing local tree names here as and when I learn them:
- dhaak
The Dhak tree, scientifically known as Butea monosperma, is a tropical tree native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, famous for its brilliant orange-red flowers that bloom in spring, giving it the common name "Flame of the Forest". It is culturally significant, used for natural dyes, in Ayurvedic medicine, and as a source of gum that has various medicinal properties. The Dhak tree also plays a vital ecological role in its environment, providing nectar for pollinators and shelter for wildlife. - barna
Crateva religiosa
Crateva religiosa the sacred garlic pear or temple plant is a species of flowering tree. It is a member of the capers family. The tree is sometimes called the spider tree because the showy flowers bear long spidery stamens. It is native to much of tropical Asia and several South Pacific islands. It is grown elsewhere for fruit especially in parts of Africa. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crateva_religiosa)
See an article in Dawn from 2016: https://www.dawn.com/news/1252123/barna-trees-vanish-from-karachi-as-experts-call-for-diversity-in-plantation-drives. - bistendu/kendu
Bistendu, also known as Kendu or Bombay Ebony, is a tree species from the Diospyros genus (related to ebony) that produces fruit with a bitter pulp. The term "Bistendu" is the local name for the plant, while "Kendu" refers to the fruit or the tree, with the scientific name Diospyros melanoxylon being a common species. The tree's bark, leaves, and fruit have traditional medicinal uses, and the fruit pulp has been used by some communities to stun fish.
See more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diospyros_melanoxylon
"The leaves can be wrapped around tobacco to create the Indian beedi[4] which has outsold conventional cigarettes in India." - frassh/pharwaan
A "pharwaan tree" is the phalsa tree scientifically known as Grewia asiatica. It is a small resilient fruit-bearing tree native to South Asia particularly thriving in the climate of Punjab. The phalsa tree produces small dark purple globe-shaped fruits that are sold as a seasonal treat and are used to make beverages and pickles.
See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grewia_asiatica - jhand
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosopis_cineraria
Prosopis cineraria also known as Persian mesquite or ghaf or khejri 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 Bahrain Iran India Oman Pakistan Saudi Arabia the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Its leaves are bipinnate. It can survive extreme drought. It is an established introduced species in parts of Southeast Asia including Indonesia.The ghaf is the national tree of the United Arab Emirates. Through the Give a Ghaf campaign its citizens are urged to plant it in their gardens to combat desertification and preserve their country's heritage. The desert village of Nazwa in the UAE is home to the Al Ghaf Conservation Reserve.
Prosopis cineraria is also the state tree of Rajasthan (where it is known as khejri) Western Uttar Pradesh (where it is known as chhonkara) and Telangana (where it is known as jammi) in India. A large and well-known example of the species is the Tree of Life in Bahrain it is approximately 400 years old and growing in a desert devoid of any obvious sources of water.
In 1730 AD the village of Khejarli near Jodhpur in Rajasthan was the scene of a violent environmental confrontation. Amrita Devi and her three young daughters gave their lives in an attempt to protect some khejri trees which Maharaja Abhai Singh of Marwar had ordered cut to make way for his new palace. This led to widespread defiance in which 363 people were killed trying to save the trees. In the 1970s the memory of this sacrifice led to the start of the Chipko movement in India. - kareer
- vann/pilu
The "vann" or "pilu" tree is the Salvadora oleoides or Salvadora persica commonly known as the toothbrush tree. It is a hardy evergreen shrub or tree found in arid regions of the Indian subcontinent the Middle East and Africa. Both species offer edible fruits but S. persica is particularly renowned for its fibrous branches which are widely used as a natural toothbrush called miswak or siwak.
See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvadora_oleoides - phulai
The phulai tree in English is known as Senegalia modesta or Acacia modesta. It is also commonly referred to as phulai in Pakistan and phalāhī in India.
Senegalia modesta (commonly called phulai in Pakistan, phalāhī ਫਲਾਹੀ پھلاہی (Punjabi) in India) is a species of plant commonly found in Pakistan India and Afghanistan. S. modesta is a perennial tree and formerly it was classified as Acacia modesta. The plant is drought tolerant. S. modesta`s tree grow in medium size (3 to almost 5 meters) deciduous form with rough surfaced brown or greenish grey bark leaflets as (3-5 pairs) cream colored inflorescence (in April–May or July–August) in the form of pedunculate spike pods as stipitate having 3-5 seeds inside. In August 2018 thousands of phulai trees were planted during the two-day tree plantation for reforestation campaign in Kingyar Gali District Buner Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan. The tree produces a gum in the form of pale yellow small tears of mucilage. This gum (also called gum arabic) is used for emulsification and stabilizing agent in food cosmetic textile and pharmaceutical industries. The hard wood of tree is also source of fuel.
See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senegalia_modesta - kachnar
Bauhinia variegata is a species of flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is native to an area from China through Southeast Asia to the Indian subcontinent. Common names include orchid tree (though not belonging to the family Orchidaceae) and mountain ebony. In Cambodia it is known as Deum Cheung Ko (ដើមជើងគោ).
Kachnar is a local name in the Indian subcontinent for the edible buds collected from the tree it is widely used as an ingredient in many subcontinent recipes. Traditional kachnar curry is prepared using kachnar buds yogurt onions and native spices. Kachnar buds are also eaten as a stir-fried vegetable and used to make achaar a pickle in many parts of the Indian sub-continent. It shows a good antioxidant and anticancer activity.In Nepal the plant is known as koiralo and the flower is known as koiralo ko phool in Nepali language. The flower and the buds are used to make Nepalese style achaar. The achar is important part of the meal served during the Ghode Jatra festival.
See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauhinia_variegata - Arjun
Terminalia arjuna is a tree of the genus Terminalia. It is commonly known as arjuna or arjun tree in English. It is used as a traditional medicinal plant. - Keekar
The Kikar tree also known as the Babul tree or Gum Arabic Tree is a thorny flowering tree (Acacia nilotica / Vachellia nilotica) found in arid regions including Pakistan the Middle East and Africa. It is valued for its durable wood tannins found in its pods and its use in traditional medicine and as animal fodder. The tree features small bipinnate leaves and produces creamy-yellow spherical flowers.
See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vachellia_nilotica
Vachellia nilotica more commonly known as Acacia nilotica and by the vernacular names of gum arabic tree babul thorn mimosa Egyptian acacia or thorny acacia is a flowering tree in the family Fabaceae. It is native to Africa the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent. It is also considered a 'weed of national significance' and an invasive species of concern in Australia as well as a noxious weed by the federal government of the United States. - Peepal
See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficus_religiosa
Ficus religiosa or sacred fig is a species of fig native to the Indian subcontinent and Indochina that belongs to Moraceae the fig or mulberry family. It is also known as the bodhi tree bo tree peepul tree peepal tree pipala tree or ashvattha tree (in India and Nepal).The sacred fig is considered to have a religious significance in four major religions that originated on the Indian subcontinent: Hinduism Buddhism Sikhism and Jainism. Hindu and Jain ascetics consider the species to be sacred and often meditate under it. Gautama Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment under a tree of this species. The sacred fig is the state tree of the Indian states of Odisha Bihar and Haryana.
Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment (bodhi) while meditating underneath a Ficus religiosa. The site is in present-day Bodh Gaya in Bihar India. The original tree was destroyed and has been replaced several times. A branch of the original tree was rooted in Anuradhapura Sri Lanka in 288 BCE and is known as Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi it is the oldest living human-planted flowering plant (angiosperm) in the world.
And, one of my favourite YouTube channels: https://www.youtube.com/@PeepalBaba-Givemetrees. - Neem
See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azadirachta_indica
Azadirachta indica commonly known as neem margosa nimtree or Indian lilac is a tree in the mahogany family Meliaceae. It is one of the two species in the genus Azadirachta. It is native to the Indian subcontinent and to parts of Southeast Asia but is naturalized and grown around the world in tropical and subtropical areas. Its fruits and seeds are the source of neem oil. Nim is a Hindustani noun derived from Sanskrit nimba (निंब).
