28 Oct 2024        13:15:51 pm

Environmental Ecology

Conocarpus tree

Tags : Conocarpus tree

Topic: Biodiversity

Why in the news?

• The latest decision of the Andhra Pradesh government to ban Conocarpus trees, a widely grown exotic avenue plantation, because of their possible adverse effect on the environment and human health, has been caught in a legal wrangle.
• The decision was challenged in the state high court.

Source: Hindustan Times 

About Conocarpus tree:

• It is a flowering plant belonging to the family of Combretaceae.
• It is an invasive mangrove species.
• Trees of this species flower in winter and spread pollen in nearby areas.
• It has been used by various public authorities in India as landscaping for road medians, along roads, and in public gardens. 
• Countries in the Arabian Peninsula have used the plant to block sand from desert storms and to control pollution.
• It is famous for its dark green leaves color throughout the year and withstands harsh environmental conditions such as high and low temperatures.
• It is very adaptive and could grow even in areas with extreme salinity.
• It absorbs more water from soil than other species and is a threat to groundwater.
• It goes deep into the ground and grows too much to damage the communication cables, drainage lines and drinking water pipelines.
• It is native to parts of North and South America, as well as parts of Africa.

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