Khrog (Pindrow Fir)

Abies pindrow (Pindrow Fir)

Vernacular name: Khrog (in Kinnauri); Tosh (in Hindi)

Click here to watch a short video about this species

Click here to watch a short video about this species

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One of the most important duties of all Indian citizens is enshrined under Article 48A which calls for protecting our natural environment, forests, and wildlife. 🌸🦋🐠🌲🐻🇮🇳 This Republic Day let’s protect our rich natural heritage by avoiding plastic flags, sticks, balloons, in our celebrations, and vowing to learn and protect our precious biodiversity. 🇮🇳🐆🐊🐍🐝🐘🦅

Today we are celebrating Republic Day 🎉🇮🇳 by sharing yet another evergreen conifer species, the Pindrow fir (Khrog in Kinnauri), native to the Western Himalayan region. 🌲💚

Khrog (Abies pindrow), another member of the Pinaceae family, is native to the western Himalayas, with its range extending from Afghanistan to Pakistan, India, and central Nepal. Commonly known as the Pindrow Fir, Western Himalayan Fir, or Silver Fir in English, it is called Tosh in Hindi and Khrog in the Kinnauri dialect. The species gets its name pindrow from its common name in the Nepali language. 

This tree typically grows at 2400–3700 meters above sea level, thriving in cooler, moister, north-facing slopes, and is often found alongside Deodar Cedar, Himalayan Blue Pine, and Morinda Spruce trees. With its classic pyramid shape (imagine a very tall Christmas tree), the Khrog tree can be easily identified by looking at its needle-like leaves and broad, cylindrical cones.

Khrog is a keystone species, meaning it plays a crucial role in maintaining the health and balance of its ecosystem by supporting a wide variety of other species—similar to how animals like elephants, tigers, and vultures function in their respective habitats. As a keystone species, Khrog forest stands to increase biological productivity by promoting plant growth, generating significant biomass (wood and leaf litter), and providing essential habitats for numerous species, including understory plants, birds, mammals, and insects.  The wood of this tree is used as fuel, timber, and in the production of furniture, agricultural tools, and pulp. Its leaves, oil, resin, and bark are utilised in traditional medicine, primarily by locals to treat livestock such as attenuated and hypotension in dogs and in humans to treat cough and bronchitis.

Link to instagram video: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFRxVBnPQYi/?igsh=MjN3ZDZpZHJkajQy