This green thumb takes an innovative route

Lijin Raju embarks on a journey with the sole purpose of distributing Orchid tree seed all along the 2,000-km motorcycle ride from the city to Alaphuza

Lijin Raju, who embarked on a 2000-km motorcycle tour from Visakhapatnam to Alapuzha to distribute 1 lakh seeds of the Daevakanchanam - Bauhinia variageta among public to help promote tree cover. He is seen at the AU Department of Botany in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday. Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam

A simple gesture of handing over a seed of a tree that is common and steeped in local mythology is motivation enough for the receiver to think about planting it and nurturing it.

It is reason enough for this young green thumb and activist Lijin Raju to plan distributing it all along his 2,000-km motorcycle journey from the city to Alaphuza in Kerala.

The plant is

Bauhinia variegata , known across India for its beautiful colourful flowers and heart-shaped bilobed deciduous leaves.

Called

Daevakanchanamu in Telugu, Kachnar or Orchid tree or Mountain Ebony, the plant is endemic to India and its seed has 95 per cent germination rate and can remain viable for three years, head of Andhra University Department of Botany O. Aniel Kumar says, explaining the choice of the species.

‘Laudable effort’

Greening is everyone’s responsibility, but getting everyone motivated to do their bit for protecting the mother earth is not easy. The effort of Lijin Raju in undertaking a long arduous journey with the sole purpose of inspiring people to participate in the mission to maintain the green cover on the earth is laudable, Andhra University Vice-Chancellor G.S.N. Raju has said.

The bilobed leaf of Bauhinia variegata is representative of brothers Gaspard Bauhin and Johann Bauhin, the Swiss-French botanists who contributed to the discipline of plant taxonomy.

Another interesting feature is the flowers are in multiple colours, which give it the name variegata . The plant is also known for its medicinal values, the roots are used to treat snakebite, the leaves are used in the treatment of diabetes and other gastric diseases, the professor of botany explained to research scholars, students, faculty, and non-teaching staff who gathered here on Tuesday.

Lijin Raju, who is working in the city hails from Alapuzha.