One of the most extensively found mangrove species in the Sundarbans, the Sundari Tree is a large tree with wing shaped nuts, which is most easily recognised by the silvery scales on the underside of its leaves. Scientifically known as Heritiera littoralis, it is commonly called the Sundari tree in both Hindi and Bengali language.
Uses of Sundari Tree
With a straight trunk and elliptic leaves, the Sundari Tree may grow up to a height of 25 m with bell shaped flowers that are about 5 mm. The tree also bears fruits, which are formed in clusters. In Sundarbans and the districts surrounding it, the wood from the Sundari Tree is the chief source of timber among the people. The wood is hard and red in colour and yields good quality charcoal and is often used in boat building, manufacturing hard wood floors and furniture. It is also used in making pilings, bridges and wharves.
Sundari Tree of Sundarbans
Mangroves tend to grow in a special natural environment where there is a mixture of specific proportion of saline water and sweet water. And the change in this specific proportion causes harm to the mangrove forests. Presently, there has been an increase of saline water in Sundarbans and climate change has become fatal to the Sundari Trees. The Sundari trees are declining because of overexploitation, and also due to top- dying diseases. In the last 30 years, 1.44 million cubic meter Sundari trees worth 2,000 crore have been destroyed after being affected by the top- dying disease.
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