Recently, a rare palm, Pinanga andamanensis, has been successfully cultivated at Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI), Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala).
Pinanga andamanensis is a rare palm endemic to South Andaman Island.
Its entire population of some 600 specimens naturally occurs only in a tiny, evergreen forest pocket in South Andaman’s Mount Harriet National Park.
Endemic species are those plants and animals that exist only in one geographical region.
The name is derived from ‘Penang’, the modern-day Malaysian state.
Penang itself has its origins in Pulau Pinang which means Island of the Areca Nut Palm.
It has strong resemblance with the areca palm tree (widely used for bright interiors).
It has a small gene pool which means the species is vulnerable to natural calamities such as cyclones, earthquakes.
JNTBGRI scientists term it a critically endangered species and one of the least known among the endemic palms of the Andaman Islands.
JNTBGRI will resume seed germination experiments for mass multiplication as part of the conservation strategy.
