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Salvadora persica
Also called Mustard tree, Toothbrushtree, Tooth Bush Tree
Salvadora persica is a small evergreen tree or shrub from desert floodplains and riverbanks, valued for its roots and twigs (miswak) used as a chewing toothbrush. It grows best in hot, dry conditions with access to groundwater, and tolerates salty soils.
Salvadora persica or the arak, is a small evergreen tree. Other common names include jhal, toothbrush tree, mustard tree, and peelu. Its roots and twigs called miswak are traditionally used for chewing as a toothbrush.
The tree is native from the Middle East and North Africa to India.
The plant is native to the Middle East, North Africa, and India, and is found on desert floodplains, riverbanks, and grassy savannahs. It has high tolerance for salty soils and can tolerate as little as 200 millimetres (8 inches) or less of mean annual rainfall, but it prefers ready access to groundwater. The fruit is eaten by birds, particularly the grey hypocolius, which disperse the seeds.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Salvadora persica by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
