Karvi magic enlivens Western Ghat

A glance at any hilly terrain in the Western Ghat throws up a stunning picture what with the entire hill slope studded with bunches of purple coloured Karvi flowers. The scene is complete with rich yellow honey dripping from the flowers and an array of insects and birds flocking to collect honey.

As many as 12 species of Strobilanthus shrubs are spotted in Maharashtra, of of which four have blossomed this year, according to Dr P N Munde, silviculturist, forest department. “Blossoming of Strobilanthus has vital importance in ecological cycle.”

Dr Rajendra Jagdale from the University of Pune had studied various floras in the sanctuary of Bhimashankar about a decade ago. He had observed in his report, “Strobilanthus is a dominant undergrowth which has been a rich source of honey. It flowers after every seven years. The flowering season of Strobilanthus begins in the month of September and continues till December. It’s fruiting period is between December and February.”

“The life cycle of Karvi ends once the fruiting season ends. The shrub dies after that and regeneration begins with thousands of seeds which fall all over. It is the beauty of the nature,” enthused Munde.

Munde observed that a lot of importance is being given to the regeneration of Strobilanthus as the shrub plays a vital role in ecology. “Karvi, which stands at second rank in silvicultural evolution next to grass, grows in highly retractory areas such as hard rocks and above 60 degree hill slopes. It belongs to Acanthaceae family and has multiple use. Growth of Karvi proves quite useful for soil conservation. We will make the best of this opportunity to study the regeneration process of the shrub,” he said.

Range forest officer Prabhakar Kukdolkar and Pune bird watcher Dr Satyasheel Naik point out Karvi has vital importance in wildlife too. “Karvi provides fodder to many herbivores such as all species of deer. It also provides shelter to insects, ground resting birds and reptiles. One can watch a great variety of wildlife just by observing the visitors to the Karvi shrubs.”

Another environmentalist, Sureshchandra Warghade, observed that Karvi plays an important role in the lives of local residents of villages locates near forests.

“We find Karvi quite useful in our day to day life. We use it as reinforcement material while constructing maximum houses at villages. Its stumps are used to support crops like Tomato. Karvi also provides best quality honey which earns us good income,” says tribal Laxman Kawathe from Kondhawale village located in the middle of Bhimashankar sanctuary.

But, environmentalists fear that the same uses of Karvi may pose a serious threat to its very existence. “Now when Karvi has blossomed, its life cycle will be over and all the shrubs will die. It will take some time for the new shrubs to grow. Growth of the shrub might be affected if the local residents start cutting the shrubs immediately,” they argued.

However, Munde felt that there is no reason to worry at the moment. “Karvi grows in ample. It will continue growing even if local residents cut some of its branches.”