SU in Kolhapur setting up arboretum for medicinal trees

Shivaji University’s (SU) botany department is setting up an arboretum of medicinal plants from the Western ghats. The arboretum will house as many as 100 species of medicinal plants. The objective of the exercise is to plant, conserve and carry out research on these plants.

Some of the species include Acacia farnesiana, Acrocarpus fraxinifolius, Bombax Ceiba and Atalantia racemosa. The department already has 35 species. Nursery techniques are being developed for the remaining species.

“These plants are medicinally important. The plantation, conservation and carrying out the research on these plants are the objectives of this project. If we conserve these species today, there will be no need to go into the forest for studying them,” assistant professor, RC Gurav said.

The three-man team for the project comprises professors SR Yadav, GB Dixit and Gurav, who are all co-investigators on the project. The project received Rs20 lakh from the district planning and development committee in April 2011.

“The saplings are ready and will be planted over five acres of land on the SU campus,” the principal investigator of the project, assistant professor NB Gaikwad told DNA.

Some of the saplings, which are ready, were planted in June. “A total 100 tree species have been selected for this project. There is a plan for having 10 individuals of each species in this arboretum,” Gurav said.

The department chose the species based on traditional knowledge and research.