Country's first rhododendron garden comes up in Uttarakhand

PITHORAGARH: The country's first rhododendron garden with 35 species of the flower, including five that are only available in Uttarakhand, has been developed in Munsiyari village here, officials said on Saturday.

The Uttarakhand Forest Department's research wing set up the garden with the objective of preserving the "fascinating" plant species for further scientific research and to raise awareness among people of its ecological as well as economic significance, a senior official said.

"Rhododendron arboreum is a widely loved variety. It is the state tree of Uttarakhand, National tree of Nepal, and state flower of Nagaland," Forest Department's chief conservator and head of the research wing Sanjeev Chaturvedi said.

He said in the Himalayan ecosystem, rhododendrons act as a keynote species because when they are in full bloom, they give a mesmerising hue attracting a large number of birds and insects.

According to Chaturvedi, the rhododendron flower has anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties.

"We have also showcased medicinal qualities of the species and put on one of the display boards a beautiful poem written in Kumaoni by well-known Hindi poet Sumitra Nandan Pant in praise of the beauty of rhododendrons," he said.

Pant was born in the Kumaon region and has written his lone Kumaoni poem on Buransh, a rhododendron species.

"Pant has vividly described the vibrant beauty of rhododendrons using the flower as a metaphor for the rich natural beauty and splendour of the Himalayan region," he added.