Anjan, Hardwickia binata, is a dry-forest tree of the Deccan and central India with leaves split into two butterfly-wing leaflets. Its dark heartwood is among the heaviest and hardest in India. Its bark gives a strong fibre for rope, and its leaves are lopped as dry-season fodder for cattle.
- Botanical name
- Hardwickia binata Roxb.
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Tamil
- Aacha
- Hindi
- Anjan
- Parts used
- Timber, Bark fibre
- Habit
- Two-leaflet dry-forest pea; not a kitchen pulse
- Last updated
- 2026-10-25
How to recognise Anjan
Each leaf has just two leaflets, side by side like a pair of wings — binata means “paired”. That alone identifies it in the field.
It is a tall, narrow-crowned tree with drooping branches and dark, rough bark.
Flowers are small and yellowish in loose sprays. The pod is flat, thin and wing-like, with a single seed near the tip, and it is carried by the wind.
Kulavu, Kingiodendron pinnatum, which older books placed in Hardwickia, is a wet-forest tree with several leaflets per leaf.
Traditional use of Anjan
Timber and fibre
The timber was used for posts, beams, bridges and tool handles where strength mattered, and the bark was stripped for rope.
Deccan village practice
Fodder
Farmers lop the branches for goat and cattle fodder in the dry season, when little else is green.
Deccan pastoral practice
Modern notes on Anjan
Foresters promote anjan for dryland afforestation and agroforestry because it tolerates drought and poor, rocky soil.
Its heartwood is so dense it sinks in water, and it is very resistant to termites.
Anjan safety
There is no established food or medicinal use for people.
Ecology and sourcing
It grows in dry deciduous forest and scrub of peninsular and central India, often on shallow rocky soils.
Heavy lopping and cutting have reduced old trees in many areas, but it regenerates from seed where grazing is controlled.
Related plants
Also in Fabaceae
Questions about Anjan
Is Anjan a pulse?
It is in the pea family, but it is not eaten as a pulse.
How do I recognise Anjan?
Look for leaves with exactly two leaflets, like butterfly wings.
What is the Hindi name of Hardwickia binata?
Anjan.
Sources
- Hardwickia binata Roxb. — Plants of the World Online, Kew (search) (accessed 2026)
- Wikidata item Q13115295 (Hardwickia binata)
Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.