How Ponnus, a native mango tree, was saved

Conservationists’ efforts bear fruit, as they succeed in saving this rare, indigenous mango tree from the axe

August 01, 2020 05:38 pm | Updated August 04, 2020 09:07 am IST - Kochi

Ponnus has found a fresh lease of life. This rare, indigenous mango tree, which is at a house i n Kollengode, Palakkad district, Kerala, faced an uncertain future until last week. The family had decided to axe it to create space for a car porch.

However, members of Naadan Mavukal, a collective on a mission to protect and preserve Kerala’s indigenous mango trees, managed to convince the family against it.

The tree, affectionately named Ponnus (which roughly translates to darling), has been a favourite of the native mango collective for they claim it is the only one of its kind in the State.

Estimated to be around 40 years old, the tree has given thousands of mangoes, says Sajan S, of the Edakkad house, where the tree stands. “It was here when we bought the house two decades ago and we were not aware of its uniqueness,” Sajan says. “We decided not to fell it, once we learned that it might be the only tree of its kind and we were moved by the fact that so many people loved this tree,” he adds.

 

Many a time, Sajan’s family would not know what to do with the excess mangoes.“There would be so many of them! My mother would make mango preserves and we would give away the mangoes to neighbours. There would still be plenty left. These mangoes have a thin skin and are never infected by worms. They also have a hint of camphor in flavour,” says Sajan.

During mango season (from December to June), mangoes would fall on the car. “We don’t have much space in the front yard and would have to park the car underneath the tree. If we were to build a porch, the tree would have to go,” he says, adding, “However, we are now looking for alternatives.” The collective has promised to help the family with this.

A special place

Sakhil Raveendran, who heads the Thrissur-based collective says he found the tree last year, while on one of his “mango tree hunts”. Fascinated by the sweetness of the mangoes and the peculiarities of the tree, Sakhil added it to the group’s native directory, which has listed about 200 distinct varieties of indigenous mango trees so far.

Unlike commonly found indigenous mango trees, Ponnus is shorter (a little more than a two-storied building) with shorter branches. “It is a delight to see Ponnus during the mango season. Each branch has a bunch of mangoes, and each bunch has no not less than five mangoes. Each mango weighs up to 150 grams,” Sakhil says.

Seedlings of Ponnus mango tree

Seedlings of Ponnus mango tree

 

Sakhil and his team have collected its seeds as part of the group’s Indigenous Mango Tree Conservation Project, and currently have about 100-150 seedlings. “The seedlings are very small and need intense care to grow. This may have been one of the reasons why the tree has not been able to propagate naturally,” says Sakhil. The seedlings will be given to members of the group across Kerala in two weeks.

A few months ago, the collective saved a similar polyembryonic native mango tree, called Jailor. It was the last surviving tree of its kind in Kerala, but had to be felled due to the threat caused by its branches to the house. The members of the collective intervened and collected grafts. Jailor is now beginning to sprout in different parts of the State. “We don’t usually encourage grafting, but in rare cases such as the Jailor’s, it is the only way,” Sakhil says.

“We have lost several unsung indigenous varieties due to a lack of awareness. Kanimangalam in Thrissur had three Eucalyptus mango trees (named thus for the hint of eucalyptus in flavour), all of which have been felled. Someone who loved the taste of the mango got a single graft and that is the only remaining sapling,” says Sakhil.

The Edakkad family’s act, says Sakhil, will serve as an example to create awareness on the importance of native varieties.

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