Why Conocarpus trees grew so popular before Gujarat restricted its plantation

Conocarpus trees planted as hedge and eco-wall at a party plot in Rajkot. (Express Photo)

Over the past 10 years, Conocarpus erectus, which is native to the Americas, has emerged as the popular choice of real-estate developers and people, in general, in many parts of the state, says Paresh Gajera, former president of the Gujarat chapter of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI) and incumbent president of Rajkot Builders Association. “Conocarpus is a species whose plants grow rapidly. A sapling becomes a 30-foot-tall tree within two to three years. Other plants take five to seven years to grow to such height. People these days want instant results.”

“They don’t have the patience to wait. Therefore, Conocarpus fits the bill. It meets the requirement of having an eco-wall and greenery in the forest of cement-concrete. Therefore, real-estate developers plant saplings a year or around six months before the completion of construction, and they become trees by the time people move in,” adds Gajera. Conocarpus is not palatable to any herbivore and therefore, requires no protection in this regard. It also does not attract any birds for perching or nesting, say forest officers.

Workers plant conocarpus saplings at the site of a commercial complex in Mota Mava area of Rajkot on Saturday. (Express Photo)

In the Ram Van, an urban forest developed by the RMC and which was thrown open to the public around a year ago, Conocarpus is ubiquitous. But Laxmansinh Chauhan, RMC’s in-charge director of parks and gardens, says the land on which the forest has been developed is rocky where it’s a challenge to grow even the hardiest of species. Private nursery owners say Conocarpus continues to find customers despite awareness spreading about its alleged adverse impact on the environment and human health.

“We stopped maintaining a stock of saplings around two years ago as we started learning that it is not good for soil health and human health. When someone approaches us for the saplings, we sensitise them about the concerns. But institutional customers—real estate developers and industrialists—are still placing orders. While we are not preparing Conocarpus saplings in our nursery, we sell around one lakh plants annually by sourcing it from other nurseries,” says Sanjay Nadiyapara, owner of Shyam Nursery in Rajkot.

The saplings of Conocarpus, Nadiyapara says, can be prepared by sowing seeds as well as by planting branches. “It is fairly easy to prepare a sapling. If one plants a branch in a bag of soil, it will grow into a sapling ready for planting within a month,” he says, adding, “Conocarpus plants sell in the range of Rs 15 to 100, given their size.”

Ketan Parmar points to lush green conocarpus trees in his plant nursery. (Express Photo)

Ketan Parmar, the owner of Shree Ambica Garden Nursery on Ring Road-II, says Conocarpus saplings are cheaper than plants of other species. “Bamboos, plants of the Tecoma genus (which include species like yellow bells), mahogany, Indian laurel, areca palm give a luxurious look to a property or an estate and thus are options for eco-walls. Similarly, henna, plants of ixora, tugar, and copperleaf are among other options for hedge. Saplings of these species cost Rs 10 to Rs100. But they require slightly more care,” Parmar, who holds a master’s degree in horticulture, says, adding, “Conocarpus is a vigorous species which can harm soil health in the longer run besides damaging utility lines in urban areas.” Parmar points to two Conocarpus trees that breached polythene bags in which their saplings had been prepared. “The third one forced us to change the alignment of a water pipeline as its trunk’s size grew rapidly and damaged the PVC pipe,” he says while pointing to the trunk of a Conocarpus tree. “Thanks to social media, some public awareness has been generated about the adverse impact.”

Conocarpus trees planted as hedge and eco-wall at a party plot in Rajkot.  (Express Photo)

Amid the talk over the adverse effects, forest officers differ on certain aspects. “Conocarpus erectus is a halophyte, meaning that plants grow in saline areas like inter-tidal zones and salt deserts. They could be good in areas where nothing else grows. For example, nothing else was growing in some parts of Saurashtra and Kutch coast and Prosopis juliflora’s propagation in such areas can be justified. But planting Conocarpus in areas where mesophytes can also grow can be a bad idea as vigorous halophytes can outcompete mesophytes in the fight for soil moisture, nutrients, and sunlight and can lead to ecological degradation,” says AP Singh, APCCF (social forestry) of Gujarat. Meanwhile, nurseries that prepare Conocarpus saplings, say the demand has already started falling after the Forest Department’s decision to ban it in forest nurseries and forest areas. However, some say people will keep planting it unless there’s a blanket ban.

RK Sugoor, chairman of Gujarat Biodiversity Board (GBB) says, there is enough scientific literature in public domain about adverse impacts of conocarpus. “While GBB has not conducted any independent research on its own about conocarpus, there are enough research papers in public domain about adverse impact of conocarpus. Roots of this species grow horizontally and therefore can damage utilities and can also damage roads. Therefore, this species may not be good for urban areas,” says Sugoor.

(With inputs from Kamaal Saiyed in Surat)