Bryant Park is home to 5 exotic plants, say officials

Some of the trees have been here for over half a century

May 18, 2013 03:58 pm | Updated 04:03 pm IST - KODAIKANAL:

Exotic tree species-blue gum tree at Bryant Park in Kodaikanal

Exotic tree species-blue gum tree at Bryant Park in Kodaikanal

Five exotic plant species — camphor tree, silver maple, creeping juniper, alnus tress and blue gum — have been identified in the Bryant Park here.

Briefing reporters here recently, Deputy Director of Horticulture S.Raja Mohamed said Assistant Directors of Horticulture T.Chinnaraj, M.Pandi, K.Srinivasan and K.Thirumal started identifying the trees in the park, and spotted these exotic species.

Camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora) was an evergreen tree growing up to 20-30 metres. Its leaves had a glossy, waxy appearance and smelt of camphor when crushed. The tree was indigenous to China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Brought from China, this tree had been in the park for the past 75 years. Mr.Mohamed said the silver maple tree (Acer saccharinum), brought from Japan, had been here for the past 60 years. In many parts of the eastern US, maple’s large, rounded buds were one of the primary sources of food for squirrels in the spring.

Its seeds were also consumed by squirrels, chipmunks and birds, and the wood was used for making paper and furniture. The Deputy Director said the creeping juniper or creeping cedar tree (Juniperus horizontalis) was a low-growing shrubby juniper, native to North America. The tree was brought to the park from Japan 35 years ago. It could be used to provide shade, control erosion and for mass planting.

Alnes tress or alder tree (Alnus nepalensis), found in the subtropical highlands of the Himalayas, grew quickly in wet area, and it was adaptable to various soil types. The tree found in the park was six decades old, he added.

He noted that the southern blue gum or blue gum tree (Eucalyptus globulus) was one of the most widely cultivated trees in Australia. Reaching a height of up to 55 metres, the tree could be used in construction. Its flowers were a good source of nectar. The one in the park had been here for 50 years.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.