Ready to grow roots: Saplings from 17 countries await G20 leaders
- September 7, 2023
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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Ready to grow roots: Saplings from 17 countries await G20 leaders
Subject: Environment
Section: Species in news
Context:
- India has imported saplings from at least 17 countries, which are to be planted by visiting G20 leaders in the national capital on occasion of the summit this weekend.
Details:
- The saplings of native plants have been imported from 10 G20 member countries and seven other countries.
- These saplings have been imported over the past two months and have now been kept at a post-entry quarantine facility at ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, Pusa, New Delhi.
- Saplings identified and selected by: Ministry of Agriculture
- It is suggested that the imported plant should have some religious, cultural or national significance in the source country.
- Among the G20 member countries:
- Silver Tree (Neolitsea sericea) from South Korea;
- Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera) from Saudi Arabia;
- Olive (Olea europaca) from Italy and Turkey;
- Real Yellowwood (Podocarpus latifolius) from South Africa;
- Winterlinde (Tilia Cordata) from Germany;
- Cockspur Coral (Erythrina crysta-galli) from Argentina;
- Camphor Laurel (Cinnamomum camphora) from China and Japan; and
- Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha) and Northern Black Wattle (Acacia auriculiformis) from Australia.
- Among the invitee countries:
- Ghaf tree (Prosopis cineraria) from the UAE;
- Frankincense (Boswellia sacra) from Oman;
- Frangipani (Plumeria obtusa) from Mauritius;
- Mango tree (Mangifera indica) from Bangladesh;
- African Mahogany (Khaya senegalensis) from Nigeria;
- Doum/Date Palm (Hyphaene thebaica/ Phoenix dactylifera) from Egypt; and
- Olive tree from Spain.
- For the remaining leaders, the plants have been sourced locally.
- Sycamore/Chinar (Platanus ori-entalis) plant has been sourced locally for the French President;
- Chir Pine (Pinus roxburghii) for Russia’s representative;
- Queen’s Crepe-myrtle (Lagerstroemia speciosa) for the US President;
- Weeping Willow (Salix baby-lonica) for the UK Prime Minister;
- Arjun (Terminalia ar-juna) for Canada;
- Teak tree (Tectona Grandis) for Indonesia; and
- Fern tree (Jacaranda mi-mosifolia) for Brazil.
- Banyan tree saplings have been sourced locally for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- For the international organisations:
- Saplings of Peepal tree (Ficus religiosa) has been sourced locally for the United Nations and
- Parijat (Nyctanthes arbortristis) for the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.
Ghaf tree from UAE:
- Ghaf was declared UAE’s national tree in 2008.
- The Ghaf is a drought-tolerant tree, which can remain green even in harsh desert environments.
- It is essential for the survival of animal and plant species alike.
- Ghaf trees can live for up to 120 years on average.
- A well-known example of the Ghaf is the 400-year-old ‘Tree of Life’ in Bahrain, which is still growing in the desert without any obvious sources of water.
- It is learnt that six mango plants –Amrapali and Langra varieties – have also been imported from Bangladesh.