Phenological Study Of Chironji (Buchanania Lanzan) Fruits At Jharkhand

Chironji, Char or Achar (Buchanania lanzan Spreng; family Anacardiaceae) is an important non-wood tree species found in deciduous forests throughout the greater part of India. In the English language, it is known as little gooseberry tree (Janick and Paull, 2006). It is also known as Cudappah almond or almondette. In central India, it is a common associate of teak, sal, and mixed forests. This plant was first described by Francis Hamilton in 1798. It is small to a moderate-sized tree, generally attaining a height up to 18 m and girth 1.5 m. The bark is dark gray or black, regularly divided into small rectangular plates, somewhat resembling a crocodile hide and reddish inside. In Jharkhand, production of chironji was reported 16000 Qt. and price 16000 Rs/Qt in 2013-14. In the same year 9000 Qt. chironji exported with the price of 18000 Rs/Qt. (Bazar Samity-Ranchi, 2013).