The Exotic Shrubs and Trees in Indian Arid Regions

Abstract

The Indian deserts comprising mostly of arid regions are characterized by sandy plains more or less devoid of vegetation except in the rainy season where multitudes of ephemerals come up and transform the barren lands into green carpet. The perennial components of these habitats comprising of scrubby, xerophytic vegetation characterized chiefly by Salvadora oleoides, Prosopis cineraria, Capparis decidua and Zizyph"us spp. occur in open clumps. The exotic Acacia tortilis and Prosospis jul{flora introduced long ago have been naturalized and they now occupy a significant place in the ecology and economy of these deserts and its inhabitants respectively.