Khejri

Khejri, also called ghaf, Persian mesquite, jand and shami, is a small flowering tree of the pea family, 3 to 5 metres tall, native to arid parts of Western Asia and the Indian subcontinent. It has bipinnate leaves, thorned branches, small creamy-yellow flowers and seeds in pods, and it grows with annual rainfall as low as 15 centimetres. It is the national tree of the United Arab Emirates and the state tree of Rajasthan and Telangana. The page records that in 1730 Amrita Devi and her daughters died protecting khejri trees at Khejarli near Jodhpur, and that 363 people were killed trying to save the trees. The page says Hindus highly revere the tree and worship it at Dussehra, and that in the Mahabharata the Pandavas hung their weapons in the shami tree during their year in disguise.