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Balanites roxburghii
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Zygophyllales
Family:	Zygophyllaceae
Genus:	Balanites
Species:	B. roxburghii
Binomial name
Balanites roxburghii Planch.

Balanites roxburghii is a spiny, evergreen tree. It is common in open sandy plains of the Indian peninsula, western Rajasthan, west Bengal, Maharashtra and drier parts of India.

Alternate names

• Sanskrit:Inguda (इङ्गुद),Hingūpatra, Viṣakaṇta, Anilāntaka, Gaura, Suputra, Bhallaka, Tinguda, Tikta, Ingula, Tilvaka
• English:Desert date,
• Hindi:Hinganbet, Ingudi, Hingoli,
• Rajasthani:Hingun

Balanites roxburghii tree

Uses

Bark ,fruit seed, leaves of the tree and the oil from seeds is of medicinal value.

In Mahabharata

Shalya Parva, Mahabharata/Book IX Chapter 36 shloka 58 mentions the biodiversity of River Sarasvati (Sapta-Saraswat). It is one of the species found along the banks of Sarasvati River.

References

• Sands, Martin J. S. 2001. The Desert Date and Its Relatives: A Revision of the Genus Balanites. Kew Bulletin, 56: 1-128.