Species selection
Choosing green belt species
There is no single national species list. CPCB’s guidance organises its recommendations across fifteen agro-climatic zones and their subzones, reached through a three-step lookup that almost nobody explains. Get the lookup right and the species follow; get the structure wrong and a correctly-specified belt still fails to capture anything.
How the CPCB lookup actually works
Guidelines for Developing Greenbelts (PROBES/75/1999-2000, March 2000) runs to 210 pages and is structured as three appendices that only work together. This is why so few people quote it directly.
- 1
Appendix A — find your zone
Locate your district. It maps to one of fifteen zones and a numbered subzone, for example V.2 or XIII.5.
- 2
Appendix C — read the coded list
Each subzone carries a list of letter-and-number codes rather than names, for example A-3, 4, 7; B-6 to 12; C-14, 21, 22.
- 3
Appendix B — decode into species
The master list turns each code into a species with its family, pollution tolerance, habit, height, growth rate, flowering season, crown shape and stomatal index.
The fifteen zones
Each is further divided into subzones, and the species list changes between them.
- IWestern Himalayan Region
- IIEastern Himalayan Region
- IIILower Gangetic Plains Region
- IVMiddle Gangetic Plains Region
- VUpper Gangetic Plains Region
- VITrans-Gangetic Plains Region
- VIIEastern Plateau and Hills Region
- VIIICentral Plateau and Hills Region
- IXWestern Plateau and Hills Region
- XSouthern Plateau and Hills Region
- XIEast Coast Plains and Hills Region
- XIIWest Coast Plains and Ghat Region
- XIIIGujarat Plains and Hills Region
- XIVWestern Dry Region
- XVThe Islands Region
What decides whether a belt works
Species choice is only half of it. These principles come from the 2025 memorandum and CPCB’s design criteria, and each is cited to its source.
Native and pollution-tolerant
Species with a proven capacity to absorb dust, gaseous pollutants and noise. CPCB's own records classify species as sensitive or tolerant, and rate them for tolerance to sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide specifically.
OM 29.10.2025, Section E(i)(a)
A mix of evergreen and deciduous
A belt that sheds all its foliage at once stops working for part of the year. Mixing evergreen and deciduous species keeps it effective year-round.
OM 29.10.2025, Section E(i)(b)
Multi-tier, not a single row
Tall trees, medium-height shrubs and ground cover together. Width and density should be proportionate to the pollution load at the site.
OM 29.10.2025, Section E(ii)
Permeable, not a solid wall
This is the technical point most often missed. A belt dense enough to act as a barrier deflects the plume up and over it rather than capturing anything. CPCB's guidance calls for optimum penetrability so that air passes through the canopy and particulates are intercepted.
CPCB PROBES/75, design criteria
Perpendicular to the prevailing wind
Alignment across the predominant wind direction maximises interception, and plantation along sensitive boundaries should be continuous and gap-free.
OM 29.10.2025, Section E(iii)
Deep-rooted and wind-firm
A belt that falls over in the first storm is not a belt. CPCB favours wind-firm, deep-rooted species with dense canopies, and species that are locally available so replacement stock can be sourced.
CPCB PROBES/75, species selection criteria
What CPCB records for each species
The abbreviations in the master list are opaque unless you know them. Here is what each one means.
- Fam
- Family
- C.N.
- Common names, by language
- S/T
- Sensitive or tolerant to air pollution
- HA
- Habit — tree, shrub or herb
- HT
- Height at maturity
- GR
- Growth rate
- R
- Method of reproduction
- E/D
- Evergreen or deciduous
- Flo.S.
- Flowering season
- CSA
- Crown surface area
- CS
- Crown shape
- LA
- Leaf area
- SI
- Stomatal index
27 species, verified
Arid to semi-arid zone · checked 2026-08-12
CPCB’s attributes for each species, as reproduced in a filed green belt plan for a chemical unit at GIDC-Dahej. Every binomial has been checked against the GBIF backbone taxonomy. Where a name has been superseded since 2000, both are shown — because the old name is what your consent conditions will say.
| Species | Local name | Habit | Tolerance | Foliage | Stomatal index | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acacia auriculiformisFabaceae | Australian Baval | Tree | Tolerant | Evergreen | 10.9 | QG |
| Ailanthus excelsaSimaroubaceae | Tree of heaven | Tree | Tolerant | Deciduous | 13.01 | QG |
| Alstonia scholarisApocynaceae | Devil Tree | Tree | Tolerant | Evergreen | 15.23 | QG |
| Azadirachta indicaMeliaceae | Neem | Tree | Tolerant | Evergreen | 29.2 | QG |
| Mangifera indicaAnacardiaceae | Aam/Keri | Tree | Sensitive to SO2; tolerant to dust | Evergreen | 30.77 | AGE, DC, CN |
| Thespesia populneoidesMalvaceae | Paras Piplo | Tree | Tolerant | Evergreen | 29.81 | QG |
| Cassia siameaFabaceae · now Senna siamea | Kasid | Tree | Tolerant | Evergreen | 21.2 | QG |
| Delonix regiaFabaceae | Gaulmor | Tree | Sensitive | Deciduous | 14.38 | DC |
| Terminalia catappaCombretaceae | Desi Badam | Tree | Tolerant | Deciduous | 20.9 | QG |
| Peltophorum pterocarpumFabaceae | Sonmukhi | Tree | Tolerant | Evergreen | 16.78 | QG |
| Polyalthia longifoliaAnnonaceae | Asopalav | Tree | Sensitive to SO2 | Evergreen | 22.27 | AGE, DC |
| Prosopis cinerariaFabaceae | Sami | Tree | Tolerant | Evergreen | 18.1 | QG |
| Kigelia africanaBignoniaceae | Sausage tree | Small tree | Tolerant | Evergreen | 12.9 | QG |
| Callistemon citrinusMyrtaceae | Bottle brush | Small tree | Tolerant | Evergreen | 127.49 | — |
| Celosia argenteaAmaranthaceae | Lamdi | Herb | Tolerant to pH | — | — | — |
| Cressa creticaConvolvulaceae | Palio, Rudanti | Herb | — | — | — | — |
| Nymphoides indicumMenyanthaceae | Kumudini | Herb | — | Evergreen | — | — |
| Ocimum sanctumLamiaceae · now Ocimum tenuiflorum | Tulsi | Herb | — | Evergreen | — | — |
| Argemone mexicanaPapaveraceae | Darudi | Herb | — | Evergreen | — | QG |
| Fagonia creticaZygophyllaceae | Ramban, Ghabajariu | Herb | — | — | — | QG |
| Tribulus terrestrisZygophyllaceae | Bthu Gokru | Herb | — | — | — | QG |
| Thevetia peruvianaApocynaceae · now Cascabela thevetia | Pilikaran | Shrub | Tolerant | Evergreen | 27.8 | DC, QG |
| Acacia leucophloeaFabaceae · now Vachellia leucophloea | Harmo baval | Shrub | Tolerant | Deciduous | 12.01 | QG |
| Bougainvillea spectabilisNyctaginaceae | Bougainvel | Shrub | Tolerant | Deciduous | 32.53 | DC, QG |
| Nerium indicumApocynaceae | Lalkaren | Shrub | Tolerant (incl. cement dust) | Evergreen | 15.7 | QG |
| Tecoma stansBignoniaceae | Yellow Bells | Shrub | Tolerant | Evergreen | 23.08 | QG |
| Hibiscus rosa-sinensisMalvaceae | Jasud | Shrub | Tolerant | Evergreen | 23.32 | QG |
- QG
- Quick growing
- DC
- Dust controller
- AGE
- Absorbs gaseous emissions
- CN
- Controls noise
What a clearance actually requires of your species
Not guidance — conditions. These are imposed in a clearance granted by State Environment Impact Assessment Authority, Tamil Nadu on 11 January 2025, and they are quoted rather than characterised because the wording is what binds.
A minimum belt width of 3 metres, on the boundary
The green belt must be earmarked with dimensions and GPS coordinates, all along the boundary of the site, at least 3 metres wide, and shown on the layout plan submitted for planning approval.
This is the closest thing to a documented answer to “what counts as proof”. Dimensions and coordinates, on an approved layout — not photographs after the fact.
The area cannot be repurposed later
The area earmarked for green belt shall not be altered at any point of time for any other purpose.
Green belt land is effectively frozen. It cannot be quietly absorbed by a later expansion, which is precisely how sites fall out of compliance.
Compensatory plantation at 1:10, species for species
Where trees are cut with prior permission, compensatory plantation in the ratio of 1:10 — ten trees for every one cut — and plantations are to be ensured species (cut) to species (planted).
The species-matching requirement is the part usually missed. Ten fast-growing saplings do not discharge the felling of ten native trees.
No water-intensive or invasive species
Trees with large leaves and wide canopy cover are desirable. Water intensive and/or invasive species should not be used for landscaping.
An explicit prohibition, in a clearance condition, on exactly the fast-growing exotics that get specified because they are cheap and available.
Native species, chosen for carbon capture
The green belt area shall be planted with indigenous native trees, of species with large potential for carbon capture, based on the recommendation of the Forest Department, and planted well before the project is completed.
Note the timing: before completion, not after. And the Forest Department, not the nursery, is named as the source of the recommendation.
Topsoil stripped, stored and reapplied
Topsoil should be stripped to a depth of 20 cm from areas proposed for buildings, roads and paved areas, stockpiled in designated areas, and reapplied during plantation.
A specific, checkable number that determines whether anything planted later actually survives.
Treated sewage reused for the belt
Treated sewage is to be reused for green belt development, and it is the proponent's sole responsibility that it does not pollute soil, groundwater or adjacent water bodies.
In this clearance, 135 KLD of treated water is directed to green belt and flushing — the belt is part of the water balance, not an afterthought.
Source: environmental clearance SIA/TN/INFRA2/515398/2024, SIPCOT Industrial Park, Panapakkam, Nemili Taluk, Ranipet District. This is the clearance authority, not the state pollution control board, and it concerns a building and construction project rather than a process plant — cite it for what it is.
84 species named in filed plans
Across 5 filings · verified 2026-08-12
Every botanical name we could recover from green belt plans filed with the environmental clearance system, checked against the GBIF backbone taxonomy and collapsed onto currently accepted names. Appearing here means a consultant specified it and a regulator did not object — it is not a recommendation for your site.
| Species | Family | Also filed as | Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acacia auriculiformis | Fabaceae | — | 2 |
| Aegle marmelos | Rutaceae | — | 2 |
| Ailanthus excelsa | Simaroubaceae | — | 1 |
| Albizia chinensis | Fabaceae | — | 1 |
| Albizia lebbeck | Fabaceae | — | 3 |
| Albizia procera | Fabaceae | — | 1 |
| Alstonia scholaris | Apocynaceae | — | 1 |
| Anacardium occidentale | Anacardiaceae | — | 1 |
| Annona reticulata | Annonaceae | — | 1 |
| Annona squamosa | Annonaceae | — | 3 |
| Areca catechu | Arecaceae | — | 1 |
| Azadirachta indica | Meliaceae | — | 4 |
| Bambusa arundinacea | Poaceae | — | 1 |
| Bambusa vulgaris | Poaceae | — | 1 |
| Bauhinia acuminata | Fabaceae | — | 1 |
| Bauhinia purpurea | Fabaceae | — | 2 |
| Bauhinia racemosa | Fabaceae | — | 2 |
| Bauhinia variegata | Fabaceae | — | 1 |
| Bombax ceiba | Malvaceae | — | 1 |
| Buchanania cochinchinensis | Anacardiaceae | Buchanania lanzan | 1 |
| Butea monosperma | Fabaceae | — | 1 |
| Caesalpinia pulcherrima | Fabaceae | — | 1 |
| Calophyllum inophyllum | Calophyllaceae | — | 1 |
| Calotropis gigantea | Apocynaceae | — | 1 |
| Careya arborea | Lecythidaceae | — | 1 |
| Cascabela thevetia | Apocynaceae | Thevetia peruviana | 1 |
| Cassia fistula | Fabaceae | — | 4 |
| Cedrela toona | Meliaceae | — | 1 |
| Cestrum nocturnum | Solanaceae | — | 1 |
| Citrus aurantium | Rutaceae | — | 2 |
| Cocos nucifera | Arecaceae | — | 2 |
| Conocarpus lancifolius | Combretaceae | — | 1 |
| Corymbia citriodora | Myrtaceae | Eucalyptus citriodora | 1 |
| Dalbergia sissoo | Fabaceae | — | 2 |
| Delonix regia | Fabaceae | — | 2 |
| Duabanga grandiflora | Lythraceae | — | 1 |
| Ficus benghalensis | Moraceae | — | 2 |
| Ficus glomerata | Moraceae | — | 1 |
| Ficus religiosa | Moraceae | — | 1 |
| Ficus virens | Moraceae | — | 1 |
| Grewia subinaequalis | Malvaceae | — | 1 |
| Hamelia patens | Rubiaceae | — | 1 |
| Hibiscus chinensis | Malvaceae | — | 1 |
| Holoptelea integrifolia | Ulmaceae | — | 1 |
| Ixora undulata | Rubiaceae | — | 1 |
| Lantana camara | Verbenaceae | — | 1 |
| Leucaena leucocephala | Fabaceae | — | 1 |
| Madhuca longifolia | Sapotaceae | — | 1 |
| Magnolia champaca | Magnoliaceae | Michelia champaca | 2 |
| Mangifera indica | Anacardiaceae | — | 3 |
| Manilkara zapota | Sapotaceae | Achras sapota | 1 |
| Mesua ferrea | Calophyllaceae | — | 1 |
| Millingtonia hortensis | Bignoniaceae | — | 1 |
| Mimusops elengi | Sapotaceae | — | 2 |
| Morus alba | Moraceae | — | 1 |
| Neolamarckia cadamba | Rubiaceae | Anthocephalus cadamba | 1 |
| Nerium indicum | Apocynaceae | — | 3 |
| Nerium oleander | Apocynaceae | — | 1 |
| Peltophorum pterocarpum | Fabaceae | Peltophorum ferrugineum | 2 |
| Phyllanthus emblica | Phyllanthaceae | Emblica officinalis | 4 |
| Polyalthia longifolia | Annonaceae | — | 2 |
| Pongamia glabra | Fabaceae | — | 1 |
| Pongamia pinnata | Fabaceae | — | 1 |
| Psidium guajava | Myrtaceae | Psidium guava | 2 |
| Ricinus communis | Euphorbiaceae | — | 1 |
| Samanea saman | Fabaceae | — | 1 |
| Saraca asoca | Fabaceae | — | 1 |
| Saraca indica | Fabaceae | — | 1 |
| Senna siamea | Fabaceae | Cassia siamea | 1 |
| Sida rhombifolia | Malvaceae | — | 1 |
| Spathodea campanulata | Bignoniaceae | — | 1 |
| Syzygium cumini | Myrtaceae | Syzygium jambolanum | 3 |
| Tabernaemontana divaricata | Apocynaceae | Ervatamia divaricata | 1 |
| Tamarindus indica | Fabaceae | — | 1 |
| Tecoma stans | Bignoniaceae | — | 1 |
| Tectona grandis | Lamiaceae | — | 1 |
| Terminalia anogeissiana | Combretaceae | Anogeissus latifolia | 1 |
| Terminalia arjuna | Combretaceae | — | 1 |
| Terminalia catappa | Combretaceae | — | 1 |
| Terminalia myriocarpa | Combretaceae | — | 1 |
| Thespesia populnea | Malvaceae | — | 1 |
| Vachellia nilotica | Fabaceae | Acacia nilotica | 1 |
| Ziziphus mauritiana | Rhamnaceae | Zizyphus mauritiana | 1 |
| Ziziphus xylopyrus | Rhamnaceae | — | 1 |
A species named in several plans across different states is a safer default than one named once. Fifteen of these were filed under a name taxonomy has since superseded — both are shown, because the older name is what a consent condition will say.
What this list is, and is not
It is a zone-specific list — arid to semi-arid, coastal Gujarat, specified for a chemical unit. It is not the national master list, which covers all fifteen agro-climatic zones. We are building the rest the same way, from filed plans that reproduce CPCB’s tables as typed text rather than from the scan.
That method matters. The only public copy of CPCB’s guidance is a scan whose OCR renders Acacia auriculiformis as “Acacia ouriculif ormis” and Malvaceae as “Molvoceoe”. A binomial list that is wrong is worse than none, because someone will order stock against it.
A caution about source plans generally: the filing this table came from lists Neem twice, once as Melia azadirachta and once as Azadirachta indica. They are the same tree. We removed the duplicate.
Source: Central Pollution Control Board, Guidelines for Developing Greenbelts, PROBES/75/1999-2000, March 2000. Species and structure requirements are additionally set out in Section E of the memorandum of 29 October 2025.
Common questions
Which species does CPCB recommend for a green belt?
CPCB's guidance does not give one national list. Its Guidelines for Developing Greenbelts (PROBES/75, March 2000) organises recommendations across fifteen agro-climatic zones and their subzones. You locate your district in Appendix A to find your zone, read the coded species list for that zone in Appendix C, then decode those codes against the species master list in Appendix B, which carries family, pollution tolerance, habit, height, growth rate, crown shape, leaf area and stomatal index for each species.
Should a green belt be planted as a dense, solid barrier?
No. This is the most common technical error. A belt dense enough to act as a solid wall deflects the plume up and over it instead of capturing anything. CPCB's guidance calls for optimum penetrability, so that air passes through the canopy and particulates are intercepted by leaf surfaces. Density matters, but so does letting air through.
How many agro-climatic zones does CPCB use for green belts?
Fifteen. Several secondary summaries claim six, which is wrong. The guidance uses the standard fifteen-zone agro-climatic classification, from the Western Himalayan Region through to the Islands Region, each divided into subzones.
Does the 2025 memorandum change species requirements?
It restates and reinforces them rather than replacing CPCB's guidance. Section E requires native and pollution-tolerant species with proven capacity to absorb dust, gaseous pollutants and noise, a mix of evergreen and deciduous species for year-round effect, a multi-tier structure of trees, shrubs and ground cover, and alignment perpendicular to the predominant wind direction.