Family: Arecaceae

Synonyms: Elate sylvestris, Elate versicolor

Common Name: Wild Date Plum

Local Name: Khajara (खजरा), Khajoor.

Khajara is a unbranched fast-growing, evergreen palm of Western Himalaya. It is frequently seen growing along river banks, roadsides, pathways, in open forest, grassland and on stretches of low ground. Khajara succeeds best in well drained sunny habitat and is found up to an altitude of 2200 m in Western Himalayas.

Khajara trees growing on hill slope

Young roots and stem basal central soft wood of khajara is eaten row. Its sap obtained from the unopened inflorescence is concentrated into a organic syrup or fermented into local alcoholic beverage. Khajara fruits are with sweet flavor and are edible both raw or cooked. Ripe fruits are also added to desserts.

 Khajara is a multipurpose tree for the local people due to its multifarious uses of fodder, fuel, food, medicine and other material. Plant is of considerable economic importance for inhabitants as its leaves are used for thatching and making brooms and mats. Khajara broom are in great demand and can be sold round the year, people easily earn Rs 20 to 30 per broom.

A woman making mat from Khajara dry leaves

People harvest khajara from wild habitat for their personal use, but it is sometime grown as an ornamental plant in gardens and along the sides of roads.

Khajara    Plant:

Plant is evergreen, erect palms, 7-15 m tall.

Stem is covered with persistent leaf bases.

Leaves are 2-4 m long, lower, arching; leaflets 15-45 to 2-3 cm, rigid, uniform, canaliculated, spinous-pointed; petioles compressed towards the apex and bearing a few short spine at the base.

Khajara is dioicous. Male flowers white, fragrant. Female inflorescences drooping.

Fruits are orange to reddish brown, oblong, 15- 20 mm long.

Seeds are grooved on one face.

Khajara tree bearing fruits

Khajare edible roots and stem can be harvested round the year but it can best provide edible fruits in summers. For sustainable harvesting collection should be done on habitat rotation basis.

Edible Uses:

All the parts of khajara are edible and eaten by local people of Western Himalaya. Young root, stem basal central soft part and ripe fruits are eaten raw. Ripe fruits are also added to desserts or puddings. The sap obtained from the unopened inflorescence is a rich source of sugar, it is concentrated into a syrup for using as a natural sweetener in drinks or sweet dishes. Some time it is fermented into local alcoholic beverage.

Khajare ripe fruits

Syrup:

Khajara syrup is natural sweetener to be used in drinks and sweet dishes. Both sap and fruits can be used to prepare this organic syrup.

Ingredients:

Khajara sap, 1 liter/ fruits, 1 kg; Water, 8 to 10 cup amount; Milk, 1 cup amount.

Method:

Boil khajara sap and milk in low flame for 20 to 30 minutes or more depending upon thickening one desire. Now natural syrup is ready to be used in any drink or sweet dish.

Khajara ripe fruits are also employed for making organic syrup. Boil ripe fruits in water and milk for 40 to 45 minutes. After boiling let them cool down mesh and strain. Strained syrup is further condensed if more thickness of syrup is desired.

khajara fruits desserts:

Ingredients:

khajara ripe fruits and other chopped fruits acc.  to taste,1/2kg; curd, 1kg; sweetener like honey/ sugar/ condensed milk/ khajara syrup, 1-3 tea spoon; cardamom powder,1/4 tea spoon; black salt according to taste.

Khajare ripe fruits collected for making dessert

Method:

Take curd in a bowl. Add to it sweetener according to choice and stir well. Add cardamom powder, black salt, khajara fruits and other chopped fruits according to preference. Mix well and serve.

Khajara alcoholic beverage:

For preparing alcoholic beverage, khajara sap is mixed with jaggery and yeast and placed inside a airtight container for fermentation. After 7-15 days this fermented product is ready for distillation. Distillation is usually performed in a special setup made up of two container or vessel plus outlet for distillate collection. Bottom vessel is meant for fermented mixture and top vessel or covering for vapors collection. Covering vessel is usually sealed with dough to avoid any leakage. Distillate (alcoholic drink) is collected in glass bottles through outlet. Local people in different parts of Western Himalayas prepare this alcoholic drink for their personal medicinal use.

Food Value and Chemical Constituents:

Fresh unfermented sap contains protein 0.37, total sugar 11.01, and reducing sugars 0.97, mineral matter 0.54, phosphorus 0.10%, calcium trace, iron 0.04%, nicotinic acid, hydrazide and organic acids 1.

Seek professional advice before treating this plant medicinally.

Medicinal Uses:

Mature roots are used by local people for scouring teeth. Khajara  is considered useful in the treatment of diarrhea, dysentery, gonorrhea, gum trouble, toothache, menstrual complaints, venereal disease, and as an edible, tonic and cooling beverages 2.

Religious value:

Khajara is known to have religious value. broom made from its leaves and branches is considered sacred and offered to God Kaal Bharav.

Other Uses

Young khajara branches and leaves are used as fodder, these are generally given to milch cattle and supposed to enhance milk yield. Dried branched left after cattle feeding are used as fuel.

A woman bringing Khajara branches as fodder

The leaves are also heavily employed   for making bags and mats. People uses stems for making local houses and branches used for making broom. Branches also used to prepare decorative items.

Source of income:

Khajara is a easy source of income for local people. Its brooms are in great demand and sold at the cost of Rs 20 to 40 in local market. Mats are also sold at high price ranging from Rs 150 to 300 depending upon size and quality but their demand is significantly decreased due to urbanization and modernization. Decorative items are also prepared from its leaves and branches and sold high at the cost of Rs 200 to 500. Thus, khajara can be exploited as a commercial plant.

A woman making Khajara broom for selling

References:

  1. 1. Anonymous (1969) : The Wealth of India, Raw Materials,Vol VIII, Publications and Information Directorate, CSIR, New Delhi, 
  2. Jain, A. K., & Farrokhnia, F. (1991). Unsupervised texture segmentation using Gabor filters. Pattern recognition, 24(12), 1167-1186.

281 thoughts on “Phoenix sylvestris (L.) Roxb.- Khajara (खजरा), Khajoor

  1. Great site you’ve got here.. It’s difficult to find high quality
    writing like yours nowadays. I truly appreciate people like you!
    Take care!!

  2. I just want to say I am just newbie to weblog and honestly liked your blog site. Most likely I’m planning to bookmark your site . You absolutely have tremendous posts. Appreciate it for revealing your web site.

  3. I am not positive the place you are getting your information, but good topic. I needs to spend a while studying much more or figuring out more. Thanks for excellent info I was looking for this info for my mission.

  4. Having read this I thought it was extremely enlightening. I appreciate you finding the time and effort to put this article together. I once again find myself spending a lot of time both reading and commenting. But so what, it was still worthwhile.

  5. Greetings! Very helpful advice on this article! It is the little changes that make the biggest changes. Thanks a lot for sharing!Loading…

  6. I am not sure where you’re getting your information, but good topic.I needs to spend some time learning much more or understandingmore. Thanks for wonderful info I was looking forthis information for my mission.

  7. excellent post, very informative. I wonder why theother experts of this sector don’t understand this.You must continue your writing. I am sure, you’ve a hugereaders’ base already!

  8. Hi there i am kavin, its my first occasion to commenting anywhere, when i read thispiece of writing i thought i could also make comment due to this sensible paragraph.

  9. magnificent points altogether, you just won a new reader.What may you recommend in regards to your submit that you just made a few daysago? Any certain?

  10. Everyone loves what you guys tend to be up too. This sort of clever work and coverage! Keep up the wonderful works guys I’ve incorporated you guys to blogroll.

  11. I’m not sure where you are getting your info, but great topic.I needs to spend some time learning much more or understandingmore. Thanks for magnificent info I was looking for this info formy mission.

  12. Good day! I know this is kind of off topic but I was wondering if you knew where I could get a captcha plugin for my comment form? I’m using the same blog platform as yours and I’m having trouble finding one? Thanks a lot!

  13. I do not even know how I ended up here, but I thought thispost was good. I don’t know who you are but definitely you’re going toa famous blogger if you aren’t already 😉 Cheers!

  14. Good day! Do you know if they make any plugins to assist with SEO?I’m trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m not seeingvery good results. If you know of any please share.Many thanks!

  15. Great article and right to the point. I am not sure if this is truly the best place to ask but do you guys have any ideea where to get some professional writers? Thx 🙂

  16. Always love reading your blogs whenever I get some time because the way you describe information in your blogs, it helps me a lot in improving my writing skills as well. AC Repair Weston

  17. You made a few good points there. Used to do searching on the issue as well as identified practically all individuals goes together with along with your blog.

  18. Howdy! Do you know if they make any plugins to assist with Search Engine Optimization? I’m trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m not seeing very good success. If you know of any please share. Cheers!

  19. I will immediately take hold of your rss feedas I can not in finding your e-mail subscription hyperlink or e-newsletter service.Do you’ve any? Please let me recognise so that I maysubscribe. Thanks.

  20. I do not even understand how I ended up here, but I believed this submit was good.I do not know who you’re however certainly you are going to a famousblogger in case you are not already. Cheers!

  21. Wow that was strange. I just wrote an extremely long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t appear. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Anyways, just wanted to say fantastic blog!

  22. Wow that was strange. I just wrote an really long comment butafter I clicked submit my comment didn’t show up.Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again.Anyhow, just wanted to say wonderful blog!

  23. Aw, this was an extremely nice post. Finding the time and actual effort to make a very good article…but what can I say… I procrastinate a lot and don’t manage to get anything done.

  24. Hey There. I found your blog using msn. This is a really well written article. I?ll make sure to bookmark it and come back to read more of your useful information. Thanks for the post. I?ll certainly comeback.

  25. This is a very good tip particularly to those new to the blogosphere. Simple but very precise information… Appreciate your sharing this one. A must read article!

  26. Howdy! This post could not be written any better! Reading this post reminds me ofmy old room mate! He always kept talking about this. I willforward this post to him. Fairly certain he will have a good read.Thank you for sharing!

  27. I do trust all the concepts you’ve presented in your post. They’re very convincing and can definitely work. Nonetheless, the posts are too quick for novices. Could you please prolong them a bit from subsequent time? Thank you for the post.

  28. Hello! I know this is somewhat off topic but I was wondering ifyou knew where I could get a captcha plugin for my comment form?I’m using the same blog platform as yours and I’m havingtrouble finding one? Thanks a lot!

  29. Usually I do not read post on blogs, but I would like to say that this write-up very pressured me to try and do it!Your writing style has been surprised me. Thanks, quitenice article.My blog post: bbs.hanmu.net.cn

  30. Hey There. I found your blog using msn. This is an extremely well written article.I’ll make sure to bookmark it and return to read more of your useful information. Thanks for thepost. I’ll certainly return.

  31. Aw, this was an extremely good post. Taking the time and actual effort to create a really good articleÖ but what can I sayÖ I procrastinate a lot and don’t manage to get anything done.

  32. Excellent post. I was checking constantly this blog and I am inspired!Extremely helpful info particularly the remaining section 🙂 I handle such info much.I used to be seeking this particular information for a longtime. Thank you and good luck.

  33. Hi, I do think this is an excellent blog. I stumbledupon it 😉 I will revisit once again since i have book marked it. Money and freedom is the best way to change, may you be rich and continue to guide others.

  34. I’ll immediately grasp your rss as I can not in finding your email subscription hyperlink or newsletterservice. Do you have any? Please let me know in order that I may just subscribe.Thanks.

  35. I do agree with all the ideas you’ve presented in your post. They’re very convincing and will definitely work. Still, the posts are very short for beginners. Could you please extend them a bit from next time? Thanks for the post.

  36. Tгemendous issues here. I’m very happy to peer your poѕt.Thanks so much andd I’m having a loоk forward too tⲟuchyou. Wiⅼl you kindly drop me a e-mail?My weƄƅ blog :: agen slot online (worldtoys.jp)

  37. Hello! Do you know if they make any plugins tosafeguard against hackers? I’m kinda paranoid about losing everything I’ve worked hard on. Any suggestions?

  38. A motivating discussion is worth comment. I think that you should publish more about this subject, it might not be a taboo subject but typically people do not speak about such subjects. To the next! All the best.

  39. I really love your site.. Great colors & theme. Did you create this website yourself? Please reply back as I’m wanting to create my own personal site and want to find out where you got this from or exactly what the theme is called. Cheers!

  40. Hey just wanted to give you a brief heads up and let you know a few of the pictures aren’t loading correctly. I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue. I’ve tried it in two different internet browsers and both show the same outcome.

  41. I am not positive where you are getting your info, but great topic.I needs to spend a while learning much more or figuring out more.Thank you for fantastic information I used to be lookingfor this information for my mission.

  42. Thanks for the auspicious writeup. It if truth be told used to be a entertainment account it. Look complex to far added agreeable from you! However, how can we communicate?

  43. Thank you for the auspicious writeup. It in fact was a amusement account it. Glance complex to more introduced agreeable from you! By the way, how could we keep up a correspondence?

  44. Hi! This post couldn’t be written any better! Reading this post reminds me ofmy previous room mate! He always kept chatting about this.I will forward this article to him. Pretty sure he willhave a good read. Thank you for sharing!

  45. Thanks for one’s marvelous posting! I truly enjoyed reading it, you could be a great author.I will make sure to bookmark your blog and will often come back sometime soon. I want to encourage continue your great writing, have a nice holiday weekend!

  46. Aw, this was an incredibly good post. Finding the time and actual effort to make a superb article… but what can I say… I procrastinate a lot and don’t manage to get nearly anything done.

  47. Hi there! This blog post couldn’t be written much better! Looking at this post reminds me of my previous roommate! He constantly kept talking about this. I will send this article to him. Pretty sure he’s going to have a great read. I appreciate you for sharing!

  48. I blog frequently and I genuinely thank you for your information. This great article has really peaked my interest. I am going to take a note of your blog and keep checking for new information about once per week. I subscribed to your RSS feed too.

  49. Hey There. I found your blog using msn. This is an extremely well written article. I will make sure to bookmark it and come back to read more of your useful information. Thanks for the post. I’ll definitely comeback.

  50. Having read this I thought it was extremely informative. I appreciate you spending some time and energy to put this content together. I once again find myself spending a significant amount of time both reading and leaving comments. But so what, it was still worth it.

  51. Thanks for the auspicious writeup. It in truth was a entertainment account it.Look advanced to more brought agreeable from you!By the way, how could we be in contact?

  52. After I initially commented I appear to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on each time a comment is added I recieve four emails with the exact same comment. There has to be a way you are able to remove me from that service? Thank you.

  53. It’s nearly impossible to find experienced people in this particular subject, but you seem like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks

  54. Howdy! This blog post could not be written much better! Looking through this article reminds me of my previous roommate! He continually kept talking about this. I most certainly will forward this information to him. Fairly certain he will have a great read. Thank you for sharing!

  55. Can I simply say what a comfort to find somebody who actually knows what they are talking about on the web. You definitely understand how to bring an issue to light and make it important. More and more people really need to check this out and understand this side of the story. I was surprised you are not more popular since you certainly possess the gift.

  56. A motivating discussion is definitely worth comment. I believe that you ought to write more on this issue, it might not be a taboo matter but typically folks don’t speak about such topics. To the next! All the best!!

  57. Good post. I learn something totally new and challenging on sites I stumbleupon every day. It’s always interesting to read through content from other writers and use a little something from other sites.

  58. Hi, I do believe this is an excellent site. I stumbledupon it 😉 I am going to return yet again since I book-marked it. Money and freedom is the best way to change, may you be rich and continue to guide other people.

  59. Spot on with this write-up, I truly believe this website needs much more attention. I’ll probably be returning to read more, thanks for the advice!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *