A walk in the forests in Central India reveals fascinating trees, leaves, flowers, fruits,
and bark, used for oil, medicines, and food.
Indian Satinwood
Run your hands along the deep grooves of the Indian Satinwood tree found in the
forests of Satpura, and you will be reminded of the distinct texture of a wine bottle
cork! Forest guides will tell you to crush the pungent leaves and rub it on your skin
as a natural mosquito repellent. The lustrous wood is known to make fine furniture,
and the British used to fell and send the logs to England for this purpose. The tree’s
thick, spongy bark retains moisture and prevents the tree from drying up during
long hot summers.
Ghost Tree
In the forests and highlands of Central India, a stark silvery-white tree stands out in
sharp contrast to thick greens and browns. Locally called the kulu, the ghost tree is a
magical sight with a pale, luminous trunk that peels off in delicate papery layers. As
the seasons turn, the tree changes its hue from white to pink to pale green. The tree
oozes a gum that has many medicinal uses; large cats and monkeys often eat this,
and the Gond community uses it to bind laddoos (an Indian sweet). But, most
importantly, when the tree is injured, the gum helps it to heal itself. The tree sheds
its injured branch and the gum seals the wound, leaving large knobs all along the
trunk.
Mahua
Life in Central India’s forests often revolves around the ever-giving mahua whose
fruits and flowers are cooked or consumed raw, leaves are sewn together as plates,
and the edible gum is used for various purposes. Oil from the mahua seed is used for
cooking and also as medicine, while its flowers are often distilled into a local liquor.
In tribal art forms, like Gond paintings, the mahua is often depicted as a central life-
giving force, sustaining both animals as well as the communities that dwell on the
forest fringes. Sloth bears, in particular, love to snack on mahua flowers and leaves.
Tendu
Best known for its leaves, which are used to wrap beedis, the tendu is a major source
of employment across Central India. Gathering leaves and rolling beedis are labour-
intensive tasks, and the widespread tendu is essential to this industry. With a
distinctly mosaic-like patterned trunk, the tendu tends to grow naturally in clusters.
Sloth bears eat the seeds and then disperse them in their scat, giving rise to a bunch
of trees growing in the same area. There will always be one dominant tree in a
cluster, towering above the rest of its shorter siblings.
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TIP: Head out with a copy of Pradip Krishen's Jungle Trees of Central India – a handy
guide for a layman to identify the bounties of the forest.