New Botanical Garden In Pune To Showcase Endemic Plants In Mundhwa
New Botanical Garden In Pune To Showcase Endemic Plants In Mundhwa
The Botanical Survey of India’s (BSI) Western Regional Centre in Pune is set to open the ‘Mundh-wa Botanical Garden’ on 44 acres in Mundhwa. The garden will feature over 400 plant species indigenous to India, including 50 species exclusive to Maharashtra.
Researchers at BSI revealed that out of 4,900 plant species in the Western Ghats, 1,750 are endemic. Among these is the endangered Shiv Suman flower, which has historical significance for Maharashtra. The garden aims to address the decline of these species due to increasing human interference.
A. Benniamin, scientist E and head of the BSI Western Regional Centre while talking to Times Of India emphasized the garden’s role in conserving species that might otherwise face extinction.
The project, which began in 2023, involved surveying the Western Ghats in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Goa. Researchers collected seeds from endemic plants across these regions. The seeds were cultivated in a lab, sprouted into saplings, and then planted in the garden.
In addition to Maharashtra’s endemic species, the garden will also include plants from Karnataka such as the endangered nutmeg (Myristica magnifica Bedd.), the blistering varnish tree (Holigarna grahamii (Wight) Kurz), and the blackboard tree (Alstonia venenata R. Br.). Other species include the wild nutmeg (Kmema attenuata Warb.), which is endemic to India, and Syzygium stockssi (Duthie) Gamble, native to southern and western India.
