World Forestry Arboretum, Jaipur

Last Sunday I was invited for a walk in the World Forestry Arboretum in Jaipur by an officer in the Indian forest department. I have never heard about World Forest Arboretum in Jaipur before. He often sends invites for nature walks but I’m too preoccupied to join. This time however I decided to join in for this jungle walk. On a preliminary discussion, he informed me that the World Forestry Arboretum is home to various medicinal and rare plants. Often, experiments are conducted by the forest department wherein they procure plants from other countries to test them in local climatic conditions for the plantation. They also study their impact on the local environment. An arboretum is where all such activities take place.

world-forestry-arboretum-jaipur-forest-department-jaipurthrumylens — Small nursery inside World Forestry Arboretum, Jaipur

On entering this area one can feel the difference in the air quality – fresh and pure; it smells different too, probably it’s the effect of many medicinal plants planted here.

bamboo-plantation-in-jaipur-world-forestry-arboretum — An area marked for Bamboo plantation inside World Forestry Arboretum, Jaipur

This area is in proximity to a protected forest hence this board warns the visitors about the danger lurking around. Panthers! On one of the trails we also found panther pugmark!

world forestry arboretum jaipur — Board warning about the danger. World Forestry Arboretum, Jaipur

We started with one of the popular trails here. The first tree we came across was Acacia Tortilitis. This tree is indigenous to Israel and is well adapted to desert and the semi-arid region which forms large area here in Rajasthan too. Next, we came across a local plant called Pongemia Pinata; also called Karanj in the local language.

Pongamia-pinnata-karanj-tree-world-forestry-arboretum-jaipur — *Pongemia Pinata* or *Karanj –*BioDiesel is extracted from this tree. World Forestry Arboretum, Jaipur

This tree is well known for producing biodiesel like Jatropha tree & is indigenous to Rajasthan. Following this, we came across an area where many Guggul trees or Commiphora Wightii were planted. It’s a local tree but has now been declared as an endangered species.

Commiphora-wightii-gugul-tree-endangered-india-jaipur — Guggul Tree plantation. World Forestry Arboretum, Jaipur

We branched off from the trail to witness huge cactus growth. Initially, Cactii was planted inside a metal enclosure but with the passage of time, it overgrew. The flowering in these cacti takes places after many years. It happens only once the cacti has firmly established itself.

cactus-in-jaipur-world-forestry-arboretum — Huge Cactii overgrowth inside **World Forestry Arboretum** in Jaipur. An adult dwarfs in comparison to the size of *cacti!*

We then ended at a place where there were many Aloe Vera plants. Aloe Vera needs no introduction since it’s widely publicized by almost all cosmetic brands. We were informed that Aloe Vera gel which can be obtained by peeling the upper layer of the plant is good to apply directly on the skin without any second thoughts. One can even apply it to the hair as an alternative to conditioners.

aloe-vera-in-jaipur-forest-world-forestry-arboretum-jaipurthrumylens — *Aloe Vera* plantations inside **World Forestry Arboretum**, Jaipur.

There are many other plants here in World Forestry Arboretum which have also been mentioned in Ayurveda as a medicinal plant and which one doesn’t come across often. Writing about all plants and trees here in World Forestry Arboretum will be quite exhaustive so I’m sharing few pictures for you to take a virtual stroll.

jhalana-forest-panther-sightings-jungle-trail-jaipurthrumylens — start of a jungle trail at World Forestry Arboretum, Jaipur

walk-through-world-forestry-arboretum-jaipur-jhalana-nature-lovers-jaipurthrumylens — walking through the beautiful forest at World Forestry Arboretum, Jaipur

world-assembly-of-plants-world-forestry-arboretum-jaipur — Details about plant sourcing at **World Forestry Arboretum, Jaipur**

walk-inside-forest-department-world-forestry-arboterum-jaipur-jaipurthrumylens — walking off the standard trail inside **World Forestry Arboretum, Jaipur**

acasia-tree-in-jaipur-world-forestry-arboretum-jaipurthrumylens — Beautiful forest at **World Forestry Arboretum,** Jaipur

Entry to this forest is prohibited for the general public. To access World Forestry Arboretum one needs to get permission from the Forest Departments Office. I’m happy for having attended this unique walk. Even though I might have come across some of these rare plants in the forest around but I wouldn’t have known about them without the detailed explanation at this walk. The beauty of this place is that a larger chunk of the area has been maintained in its natural state -a jungle! It’s an amazing experience to take a stroll here!