The Shereesh tree in Oman
By Viju James
SHADE is a highly priced commodity in Oman. Right through the months of summer a person on the move hunts for natural umbrellas to get respite from the torrid heat. A few square meters of cover and it's cause for ecstasy. Look up — is it the shereesh that's providing the shade? The neem tree or shereesh as it is called in Oman has been referred to as the wish-fulfulling tree. In 'Sharh-e-Mufridat Al-
Qanoon,' the neem has been called as 'Shajar-e-Mubarak', 'the blessed tree', because of its various attributes.
Engineer Saif Ali al Sariri of Muscat Municipality who is an expert on desertification has many stories to share about the shereesh.
As a member of the green fingers team of the Municipality, he has been involved with and spent many years of his career studying and nurturing the shereesh in the Sultanate.
The round leaf variety is found all over Oman. — Pictures by Said al Harrassi
"There are two species of shereesh now in Oman. The round leaf azadirachta indica is found in the wild all over Oman and the straight leaf Al bizzia lebbek is the one that has been imported and is seen all over the city." The shereesh is a relative new comer to Oman. In a short stay of about three decades it has cleared all the tests laid down for expatriate flora and become as naturalised as the ghaf.
From the information provided by Engineer Saif Ali al Sariri, it's apparent that the selection of the shereesh to be a part of the flora of Oman was quite akin to the search for a bride for the scion of a well-known family. The specifications were laid down and the plant genome examined in detail.
The selected specie had to co-exist with the ghaf and the date palm. It had to be prepared for a parsimonious life, endure a hot and humid environment, make few demands for food and water and be prepared to exist anywhere between the sea sands or arid rock. It had to be attractive, pleasing to the eyes and if possible have a flowering season. There were other criteria to be met and references to be provided. The chosen one would in all certainty have to survive in soil with high levels of salinity and above all perform a role in social life commensurate with the investment that had to be made.
A neem tree in full bloom
And so in the early years of the Renaissance, the resume for a list of suitable trees was studied and the neem moved into the short list. The first of the imported neem plants came into the Sultanate and began it's life in some of the palace gardens. It was no coincidence — the neem's resume in passing mentioned its association with great kingdoms. In the 3rd century BC, Emperor Ashoka,
the great ruler of ancient India had ordered neem trees to be planted along the royal highway.
Engineer Saif Ali al Sariri elaborates other details about the neem that justified its selection. "The shereesh has a strong tolerance of both saline soil and the hot weather. It grows anywhere and does not require too much water. It's also a big tree, has a flowering season and during this time gives out a pleasant smell." According to him it is also a tree with good looks. Studies in places with high
summer temperatures have revealed that during the summer months the mercury under the neem tree reads 10°C less than the ambient temperature.
There is a belief (that is yet to be scientifically proved) that a neem tree growing near the house can keep the surrounding air clean of impurities and thereby control environmental pollution. Some people in India and Pakistan take this belief a step further and say that hanging neem twigs on the door of a house is said to offer a shield against pollution. About twelve years ago some 50,000 neem trees were planted on the Plains of Arafat to provide shade for Muslim devotees during the annual hajj pilgrimage. A paper presented in 1995 by Ahmed says that the neem plantation here has had a marked impact on the area's microclimate, microflora, microfauna,
sand soil properties, and when full grown could provide shade to 2 million pilgrims.
Nurturing the neem is no easy task as Engineer Saif Ali al Sariri explains. "We collect the seeds and plant it in GV7 in specially treated soil. After two weeks when the seeds have begun to sprout and it reaches about 9-10 centimeters it is transferred to a small pot and kept in the shade till the roots take hold. The plant is again moved to a larger pot when it has doubled its height." After this, the plant is ready to make its public appearance. During this process ten per cent of the plants are lost for various reasons.
"The shereesh is planted where people walk" explains Engineer Saif Ali al Sariri. Once settled at the side of the road, the trunk becomes thick and strong and requires nothing more than its ration of water. When full grown, the tree provides a shade radius of three to four meters and settles down for a long and virtually disease free life. Engineer Saif Ali al Sariri is well aware that people produce organic pesticides and use the neem to ward off mosquitos and other insects. He is also aware that there is a Neem Foundation and the Fourth
International Conference on Neem is scheduled to be held later this year. People of Oman are yet to assimilate the various other attributes of the shereesh but are sure making a start.
"People building new homes come to us for advice on the type of trees they should plant in and around their home and we give suggestions." The shereesh is among the recommended trees depending on the space available. What's more, the green fingers team often throw in a few seedlings to encourage people to green Oman.
Oman Observer 7th July 2002
