The mangrove species Heritiera littoralis Dryand, from which the name Sundarbans has been derived, has for the first time been found in Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts by botanists.
A research paper about the findings of two botanists — research fellow of the botany department of Shivaji University, Sajid Sheikh and associate professor of Sangli-based Karmavir Bhaurao Patil College, MV Gokhale— has been approved and published by the international quarterly journal on life science Bioscan recently.
Gokhale and Sheikh told DNA that the discovery has highlighted the richness of the mangrove biodiversity in coastal Maharashtra.
The trees of this species are beautiful and hence called ‘Sundari’ and its large-scale presence has given the name to the Sundarbans.
The tree, known for its stunning beauty, is known as Looking Glass Tree and the leaves have silvery dorsal surface.
"In 2009, we found few individuals of these species on the bank of a creek in Ratnagiri. At that time, the proper identification could not be done. However, after going through various reference books, we realised that it is Heritiera littoralis Dryand,’’ Gokhale said.
The botanists studied the regeneration and the flowering of the species besides seedling morphology.
“The seeds of the mangroves wash away with tides and germinate in different areas. In such cases, the seedling morphology proves helpful for establishing the species,’’ Sheikh said.
In 1901, botanist T Cooke had recorded the presence of the species in Karwar, Karnataka.
The botanists have prepared a nursery of the saplings of this species, which now has 20 individual trees.
“There are only 42 individual trees in Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri. These are on the bank of the creeks and face threat due to soil erosion,’’ Gokhale said.
Generally, Maharashtra does not get any attention from the Centre for mangrove conservation as the mangrove forests on the west coast are not diverse and rich, compared to those on the east coast. But the botanists differ, “Maharashtra alone has 19 mangrove species, of which five are rare. The government should pay serious attention to mangrove conservation,’’ they said.
