The Kair: Lifeline of the Desert

Dark clouds rise in the sky. Howling winds pick up pace. The sand dunes begin to shift gradually. This can only mean one thing in Rajasthan’s desert. A sandstorm is coming. As people retreat to the safety of their homes, there seems to be little respite for the animals of the desert. After all, where does one hide in a vast, open landscape? But these hardy creatures know the desert’s best-kept secret is the kair (khair or ker) tree. Birds, big and small, scramble inside the tree’s thick, dense canopy, and smaller animals huddle under it in small spaces known locally as “moors”. Together, they wait out the storm.

Characterised by sandy terrain, scorching heat, and sparse vegetation, Desert National Park (DNP) encompasses an area of about 3,162 sq km and is spread across the Jaisalmer and Barmer districts of Rajasthan. While the region may appear just a large sandy expanse devoid of life, a closer look paints a different picture. It is a unique landscape teeming with creatures of different shapes and sizes that evolved, adapted, and thrive in this seemingly inhospitable ecosystem.

Flora of the desert

In 2022, when I first visited the Sudasari Zone of DNP, I looked out for all the shades and hues of green amidst the dominating yellows. Since botany is not my strength, I came up with easy ways to identify and differentiate the few plant species we encountered. The forever messy and unkempt, phog (Calligonum polygonoides); the one with pretty purple flowers and host to the plain tiger butterfly, aak (Calotropis procera); the plant with yellow watermelon-like fruits, tumba (Citrullus colocynthis); the tree everyone loves sitting under, khejri (Prosopis cineraria); the one that produces the best desert snack, ber (Ziziphus mauritiana); and the rarely seen but super thorny, thor (Euphorbia caducifolia). While all these species were unique, there was another species that particularly caught my eye, Capparis decidua, locally known as kair or ker.

Tree or shrub?

Kair is a deciduous shrub of the Capparidaceae (Caper) family that sometimes grows into a small tree with many green, vine-like, leafless branches hanging in bundles.

How is it a shrub and tree at the same time? Though we don’t know the exact answer to this question, it is believed that a tree form is assumed only when it grows from a seed, undisturbed. On the other hand, if exposed to external disturbances, it may produce more shoots, propagate through roots, and form a shrub. 

Drought-resistant

Regardless of its appearance, its major characteristics remain the same. The plant grows to a height of 4-5 m and has very minute and short-lived leaves, which often make it look leafless. These easily detachable leaves are often seen on young shoots and are narrow or modified into spikes to reduce water lost to transpiration. The presence of an efficient primary root system is another way this plant survives in such a harsh climate. Its primary tap root system, spreads up to depths of 4 m in the ground, helping it absorb water in drought-like conditions. An elderly sheepherder told me that from his experience, even if it doesn’t rain for three years straight, the kair tree rarely wilts. (Because it is a drought-resistant tree, with deep roots)

Seasonal blooms

Between March-April and August-September, the tree is covered in small pink flowers with red veins. Then it produces tiny, pinkish berries that turn black when dried. The kair usually flowers and fruits two or three times a year. Another unique aspect is that the tree will be completely laden with blossoms and fruits during the months of drought. A good monsoon, however, results in the growth of average flowers and fruits. It appears counterintuitive that a tree would blossom and bear fruit during the driest season. But a closer look reveals that this is a crucial adaptation for the survival of the species. By blooming about 1-2 months before the monsoon, the tree ensures that its seeds are already in the ground when the rain comes.

Kair is known by various names, like karil (Uttar Pradesh), ker (Gujarat), teent (Haryana), della (Delhi and Punjab), and nepti (Maharashtra). Although it is difficult to pinpoint the plant’s origin, a variety of historical and philological sources and references in Indian literature and folklore suggest the plant has been around for at least three millennia. 

Medicinal properties

For centuries, kair has been used in various traditional medicinal systems to treat various illnesses and diseases. Every part of this plant is useful. Its young fruits are said to help digestive ailments, while a decoction of the fruit and bark helps eliminate coughs, asthma, stomach aches, and ulcers. Boils, swelling, or blisters? Grind its tender leaves and shoots into a powder. Toothache? Chew on a branch. A paste of its roots even soothes scorpion stings. Thanks to science, we know that this plant possesses many pharmacological attributes: antidiabetic, antibacterial, antifungal, analgesic, anti-tumour, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory among others. 

Food source

Kair has something to offer everyone in the vast Thar. The tree provides migratory and resident raptor species with a suitable resting place and shade. On hot days other desert dwellers like the great Indian bustard and chinkara also find refuge under it. Numerous species use it as a breeding and roosting site because its dense canopy shields them from sandstorms and rain. Additionally, its berries are consumed by various bird species, desert foxes, and desert cats. Like these animals, human residents of the desert also seek solace at this tree. Locals construct traditional temporary grazing settlements (locally known as jhumpas) from kair wood, which is tough, heavy, and termite resistant. The tree’s branches are used to construct badas or compact enclosures for goats and sheep. Because it grows so nutrient-rich, locals use the kair’s blooms, flower buds, and fruits in various dishes and pickles. Its berries are gathered and used to create the local delicacy, kair-sangri or ker-sangri. While chatting with a couple of village children, I learned that they love savouring the exquisite nectar of kair flowers.

While this plant offers multifarious uses as food, feed, fuel, wood, and medicine, and also plays an important ecological role, it faces several threats: habitat loss, overgrazing, illegal mining activities, the introduction of invasive species, and tree cutting. In contrast to other plant species that may be cultivated and propagated artificially, it is very difficult to grow kair trees in plantations. The colonial notion of “greening the desert” poses a significant threat to this and other local species. Planting trees in the desert has been practised for decades for various reasons, such as protecting this area from becoming a “wasteland”, utilising it to produce timber, and the most absurd — “to prevent sand and dunes from leaving the desert.”

On my last day in the Thar, I plucked out a ripe red berry from a nearby kair bush. Peeling its outer skin, I put the small fruit in my mouth. And although the fruit’s flavour was somewhat complicated and challenging for my tastebuds, it nonetheless had a warm, inviting feeling, much like this landscape and its people. After enjoying the fruit, I threw the seeds into the desert in the hope that they would blossom into kair trees and carry on the tradition of breathing life into the desert.

Photo sources: flowers, berries