Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Char - Thy Seed is The King

Without a doubt, the char seed is the most coveted seed in India. Used as garnish and condiment the seed is also called chironji in Hindi. The astringent almond flavor taste acts as a neutralizer in extremely sugary concoctions. It is sprinkled straight or often roasted before use in Kheer, Penda, Halwa, and other Indian sweets. 

The tree (buchnania lanzan) is called char in Hindi and it used to grow widely in the jungles before denudation. I remember the super delicious sweet and sour fruit we used to collect a few kilometers from our residence in Jabalpur. The savory fruit-bearing trees are not available anymore as they have been run down by urbanization, but the flavor remains in my memory bank. 

Like many other fruits from fruit-bearing trees in India, the delicacy was sold in local markets during the ripening season in dry summers. Not anymore, I hardly see them being sold in local bazaars as the production has gone down and now the seed is the most precious commodity described as minor forest produce. Minor Forest Produce usually collected by the forest department is subject to trade in all our reserve forests except the PAs. The locals are employed in the collection of minor forest produce thus according to them with means of sustenance in the remote locations. 

The main beneficiaries are the locals but like the tendu patta or bidi leaf  (melanoxylon dyspros) the availability has become scarce and chironji is one of the most expensive commodities in the country.  The tree belongs to the Mango Family and the fruit is robustly rounded about 10 mm in diameter reddish purple in color. Apart from taste, it should be rich in antioxidants and minerals - to be ascertained.      


Char Trunk

The nearly squarish-shaped extrusions on the trunk make it easy to be identified.

The tree is found in Sal Forests, Dry Deciduous Mixed Forests as an associate and is never abundant as in a grove or forming a canopy. It ranges up to Sub Himalayan Tract and down into Deccan.  It is found in the tiger reserves of Central India as well as the reserve forests.

The fruits ripen in dry summers and the kernel contains seeds which have made it economically viable as an income source for the locals.
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Uday works as a senior naturalist and blogs on tiger conservation wildlife, biodiversity, and the environment.
Contact: pateluday90@hotmail.com
9755089323

Monday, July 1, 2019

Apis Dorsata - The Giant Honey Bee

Class Insecta
Family Apidae
Genus Apis
Species Dorsata
Common Name Giant Honey Bee
Distribution in India Mainly Forests 

The sweet syrupy liquor known as eleixir of life on Earth is present in the stores all over the World. It is part of the kitchens were it is used as a condiment and an ingredient of various recipes. It is also used as medicine. I remember in our childhood bitter powdery concoctions were mixed with honey to make them palatable. 

The bees are social insects and one fact that everyone remembers often from childhood onwards is the painful sting. In forests workers, photographers, naturalists and tourists are susceptible to being stung by hordes of these insects which often requires hospitalizations.

In forests like Sunderban where honey is the most desired minor forest produce they are a reason for man animal conflict the tiger being the cause of many deaths and injuries. The nests or combs are built in difficult to reach locations high up in a tree usually on a horizontal branch hanging in any direction.

Hence honey does not come without a price. You will come across many tribal and villagers selling honey which can be from this species or another. There are actually three sub species of apis dorsata while some honey bearing hives may belong to another species or genus. There are nine honey bee species within this genus with similar morphological, physiological and behavioral traits.

Social Hierarchy is in form of  Queen who mates with the drones or males. The latter are produced by the Queen during the reproductive season and leave the comb after that and go on to enter another comb and mate with the Queen in there. The queen is polyandrous and mates with many drones. During the nuptial flight it may in company of drones fly to another spot to colonize it thus initiating the process of propagation. The workers constitute the third group and smaller in size but greater in numbers.

The life cycle consists of four stages namely:
  • Egg
  • Pupa
  • Larvae
  • Adult


The adult pierce the wax coated chambers to exit and the go on to perform their duties in the comb. The population splits into two when it grows large and established another colony. For this their should be enough food available in the vicinity.

It is not possible to colonize apis dorsata in man made hives as they are open nest species. They nevertheless are economically beneficial besides being excellent polinating agents. They are spread all over Southern Asia and extensively in India.
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Uday works as a naturalist in India and loves to blog on wilderness.
Contact: pateluday90@hotmail.com
9755089323