Exotic tree species from different countries will soon welcome you at the city’s iconic Lalbagh Botanical Garden. A tree with its trunk sporting the colours of the rainbow, a tree with grape-like fruits all over or one with leaves so big that five people can sit on it. For the first time ever, 1,400 plants of 650 foreign species are being introduced at one go by the Horticulture department.
“The park, spread across 240 acres, already has 2,250 species which were introduced over the last 250 years. Since Lalbagh is a botanical garden, the main objective of the department is to house as many native and foreign species as possible. We are introducing new species after a study of one year,” said M Jagadeesh, deputy director, Lalbagh.
“Adding new species is a continuous process. We have procured 550 species from various countries and another 100 will be brought in a month. Planting all these species will be completed by August. The trees will be fenced,” he said.
The department will introduce shrubs, herbs, edible and non-edible fruit-bearing species. Lalbagh already has trees planted during the period of Hyder Ali, Tipu Sultan and many others. Several people have contributed in introducing new species to Lalbagh. Tipu Sultan had introduced four foreign species, the British brought 1,500 new species and H M Marigowda introduced 600 new species. There is also a silk cotton tree which is 200 years old, he said.
“We will add species like Beabob (Adansonia digitata). This is the oldest surviving tree species (aged around 5,000 years old) and is found in Africa. We are bringing in Rainbow Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus deglupta) from Australia, the trunk of which has rainbow colours, and the Brazilian Grapetree (Plinia cauliflora). This tree, on maturing, will bear small grape-like fruits from top to bottom. We are in touch with plant explorers, researchers, private nurseries and importers to get the species,” Jagadeesh said.
Published 16 July 2017, 18:58 IST