Thelu (Black Juniper)

Juniperus indica (Black Juniper) Vernacular name: Thelu (in Kinnauri)

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Click here to watch a short video about this species

Juniperus indica, commonly known as Black Juniper and “Thelu” in the Kinnauri dialect, is an evergreen shrub native to the Himalayas. It grows in cold and temperate regions, mainly from Kashmir to Bhutan and western Tibet, at altitudes ranging from ~2750 to 4500 meters.

Mature seed cones of the tree (i.e. fertilized female cones) are black in colour, and contain a single seed. Local birds will generally consume these cones, process the cone pulp, and then excrete the seeds in their droppings, which helps spread the seeds away from the parent plant. The leaves of Black Juniper are almost scale-like, especially on mature plants, and are odoriferous, meaning they have a distinct smell. For this reason, the dried leaves and branches are commonly used as incense (dhoop), both daily and during religious ceremonies. In addition, phytological analyses have shown that the black juniper plant extracts may also help in suppression of oral cancer cells.

Interesting fact about Black Juniper (Thelu):

The Juniperus genus is unique within the Cupressaceae family because it has both monoecious (male and female cones on the same plant) and dioecious (male and female cones on separate plants) sexual systems. Most plants in the Cupressaceae family are typically monoecious. Among these, black juniper is one of the rare species which has both dioecious as well as monoecious individuals. Scientists believe this unusual feature exists because Juniperus is one of the most recently evolved conifer genera. It’s thought that the genus may have originally evolved the dioecious system and later evolved (again) to include monoecious species as well. This would explain why while most Juniper plants are dioecious, some can also be monoecious.

References

1. Lohani, Hema, et al. "Essential oil composition of leaves and berries of Juniperus communis and Juniperus indica from Uttarakhand Himalaya." J. Med. Aromat. Plant Sci 32 (2010): 199-201.

2. Adams, Robert P. "Evolution of dioecious/monecious taxa in Juniperus, contrasted with Cupressus, Hesperocyparis, Callitropsis and Xanthocyparis (Cupressaceae)." Phytologia 100.4 (2018): 248-255.

3. Shrestha, Ila, et al. "Juniperus communis L. Juniperus excelsa M. Bieb. Juniperus indica Bertol. Juniperus pseudosabina var. turkestanica (Kom.) Silba Juniperus recurva Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don Juniperus sibirica Burgsd. Juniperus squamata Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don Cupressaceae." Ethnobotany of the Himalayas. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2021. 1143-1156.

4. Huang, Xiao-Fan, et al. "Juniperus indica Bertol. extract synergized with cisplatin against melanoma cells via the suppression of AKT/mTOR and MAPK signaling and induction of cell apoptosis." International Journal of Medical Sciences 18.1 (2021): 157.

Link to instagram video: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DF1pTfQCS_D/?igsh=MXFydDVqa3dqeWZ2aQ%3D%3D