Seabuckthorn

Seabuckthorn Latest News

Recently, Spiti’s seabuckthorn has been granted the Geographical Indication (GI) status.

About Seabuckthorn

• It is popularly known as the ‘Wonder Plant’, ‘Ladakh Gold’, ‘Golden Bush’, or ‘Gold Mine’ of cold deserts.
• It is an important plant of trans-Himalayan region that belongs to the family Elaegnaceae.
• Distribution: Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) is a plant found throughout Europe and Asia. 
  • In India, it is found above the tree line in the Himalayan region, generally in dry areas such as the cold deserts of Ladakh and Spiti.
• It produces small orange or yellow-coloured berries that are sour in taste but rich in vitamins, especially vitamin C.
• Sea Buckthorn berries have a unique characteristic of remaining intact on the shrub throughout the winter months despite the subzero temperature.

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Climatic and Soil Requirements Sea buckthorn

• It is a temperate crop and therefore its cultivation can be done only in temperate regions.
• It can withstand a wide range of temperatures from -43 to 40°C. This unique feature enables the species to adapt very well in harsh climatic conditions.
• The shrubs reach 0.5-6 m tall, rarely up to 10 m in height, and typically occur in dry, sandy areas, on hills and hillsides, in valleys and river-beds.
• The dense and thorny bushes of sea buckthorn are salt tolerant and demand full sunlight for growth.

Ecological Importance of Sea buckthorn

• The shrub develops an extensive root system having ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen.
• It is an ideal plant for soil erosion control, land reclamation, wildlife habitat enhancement and farm stand protection in temperate regions.

Source: IE