A person had visited a region in India and found trees, such as Khair, Neem, Khejri and Palas. Which one of the following regions is she/he expected to have visited?

The presence of Khair (Acacia catechu), Neem (Azadirachta indica), Khejri (Prosopis cineraria), and Palas (Butea monosperma) indicates a semi-arid or desert environment. Tropical thorn forests, characteristic of the Desert Region and semi-arid areas of Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Punjab, typically receive less than 50 cm of rainfall [3]. Khejri is a flagship species of the Thar Desert, while Khair and Neem are common in thorn and dry deciduous forests [5]. Neem is specifically noted for its association with Prosopis cineraria in northern desert thorn forests [5]. Palas and Khair are also listed as important species in these scrub-like vegetation zones [3]. In contrast, the Malabar Coast and Garo Hills are dominated by tropical evergreen and moist deciduous forests with high rainfall [4], and the Sunderban Delta is characterized by mangrove species [5], making the Desert Region the only suitable match.

Sources

1. [3] INDIA PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 5: Natural Vegetation > Tropical Thorn Forests > p. 44
2. [5] https://data.fs.usda.gov/research/pubs/iitf/sm_iitf070-8.pdf
3. [1] Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 4: BIODIVERSITY > social relevance of forests > p. 21
4. [4] Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 9: Indian Biodiversity Diverse Landscape > g.4.3. Tropical rai.n forest region > p. 159
5. [2] Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 5: Natural Vegetation and National Parks > 4. The Gangetic Plain > p. 5