Following up on exotic trees decades after they were planted

ONGDEN LEPCHA
I finished reading KC Pradhan’s “The Life and Times of a Plantsman in the Sikkim Himalayas” some months back, without missing a single page. The book is very educative and informative for botanists, floriculturists, plant-lovers, and last but not least, the Sikkim foresters. My personal copy dated February 2009 reminds me that it was released two years back in January with the words “In memory of great people, KC Sir” written on it by me.  After reading the book I decided to thank KC Sir by writing an article, so I dedicate this article to KC Sir.

There were a few topics that caught my attention and I narrowed them down to two viz. plants named in honour of Sikkimese people and exotic trees that were introduced in Sikkim. Finally, I opted for the latter since there is no photograph or write up on exotic introduced trees of Sikkim. These exotic trees were planted decades back for their beautiful flowers, mostly on the roadside for beautification of the highways and for providing shade. When in bloom, each and every species presents a spectacular sight.
There are more than twenty species of exotic trees in Sikkim. Moreover exotic trees have become a part of many Indian gardens. I cannot help but mention the photographs of the icy Lhonak Chu on pages 171, 172 and 127, the handsomest lake in  Sikkim. It is rightly said that ‘a picture speaks more than a thousand words’. How can anyone describe the beauty and quality of these pictures in words?  
I recommend every reader to purchase a copy of the book before the stocks run out. The following exotic trees were introduced by none other than the living jewel, gem of forestry, KC Pradhan. 
1.    Spathodia  campanulata  or African tulip tree: This  tree was introduced by KC Sir four decades back with the seeds brought from France. It is a native of Africa and blooms during the months February – April. The trees are found standing upright at a few places along the national highway and along Rai Sahab Bhim Bahadur Pradhan road (KC Sir’s father). The trees were all planted by KC Sir along with his field staff starting from MP Golai till Singtam as part of avenue plantation.  Flowers appear at the apex of branches facing upright. As per my observation a beautiful specimen (while in bloom) can be seen ahead of KC Sir’s house at 6th Mile Tadong.
2.    Tabebuia  argentea or Tree of gold: It is a native of South America and its seeds were brought from Dehradun by KC Sir where he pursued his higher  forestry  studies  (1956 -1959). These seeds were raised in Bagey nursery and used for avenue plantation. According to the book, one of these trees can be found at Bagey nursery and few at Sikkim Mining complex. During one of his trips to Siliguri i.e on 26 March 2006 with his wife, the single tree at Bagey nursery was laden with beautiful trusses of yellow flowers, the book mentions. I shall definitely visit next season.
3.    Poulownia species: The Poulownia genus tree was introduced exactly a decade back in Sikkim from China and USA. I first got encountered this beautiful tree at Saramsa on a private holding at a distance of about a hundred feet. I was dumbfounded for a second as I had not seen it before. After reaching home that day from the International Flower show I wrote in my diary – “To  be identified - at  Saramsa, above road, full bloom, white tree not native, seen on 15 March 2008”
The book describes the tree with white panicles flower that come into bloom in early spring, which is how I got to know of its name. At present, this tree can be seen at many places of Sikkim at lower elevation. Even my in-laws have a few of these at Samdong and the caretaker said it grew very fast and bloomed for the first time in the year 2009.
During one of my visits to Khamdong I happened to see groves of these trees on a piece of land far below the road at Sang though not in bloom. KC Pradhan, in his book, writes, ”I believe it will be bread and butter of farmers in the not-too- distant future”  and it is exactly true as it is a useful timber tree, with a fast growing rate, and the leaves are also used as fodder.
4.    Acacia mangium or Australian teak: I quote few lines from the book - “Acacia  mangium was another tree I got enamoured with after having a trial sample of six trees planted at Baguwa nursery way back in 1986 with the help of FO (forest officer) RN Thapa. In 20 years they have attained a girth of nearly 6 ft. and planted virtually on the edge of the highway without much room to grow with their fullest vigour. Somehow, I could not make much headway, though a dozen trees are still doing well in my garden. The person to whom I had doled out a large number of samplings did not bring any good news either”.
5.    Jacaranda mimosaefolia- If you are travelling between Ranipool and 32 No. during the months of April-May you might have caught sight of this tree in bloom on the roadside. It was planted decades back along with bougainvilleas, hibiscus in mid 1970s as avenue plantation by KC Sir. During   April-May the tree is completely covered with brilliant purplish blue flowers growing at the apex of the branches. A native of Argentina, it is one of the most beautiful avenue trees. I have not seen these trees at any private garden or in front of houses at lower elevation. I saw one of them at Gurpisay years back, hope it is still there. Both the flowers and leaves have a charm of their own.
Apart from the above described species there are many exotic introduced trees in Sikkim. They include Callistemon  citrinus,   Grevilla robusta,  Ginko biloba, Araucaria sp., Michelia  velutina, Eucalyptus sp., Stenocarpus  sinuatus,   Magnolia grandiflora , Agathis  australis  etc. which need to be photo documented along with write-ups and this could be brought out in the form of a small booklet as a record of Sikkim’s green cover diversity. As a reminder, year 2011 was “International Year of Forest”.