The project aims to : 1. assess the population of multipurpose trees, and rare, endangered medicinal plants (Acorus calamus L., Bergenia ligulata Engl, Castanopsis tribuloides (Sm.) DC., Coleus forskohlii (Willd.) Briq., Emblica officinalis Gaert., Gloriosa superba L., Quercus glauca Thunb, Quercus lanuginosa Don, Quercus leucotrichophora A Camus, Salvia lanata Roxb., Terminalia chebula Retz, and Valeriana wallichii DC.); 2. monitor germination and survival of the species; 3. establish and maintain germplasm in the arboretum; 4. organize awareness camp and disseminate seedlings available to local communities and research organizations.

Expected outcome includes: 1. detailed information on population ecology of the target species; 2. propagation protocols (conventional methods) for the species; 3. establishment and maintenance of the species in the arboretum that will provide basic material to study the morphological and genetic variability and to facilitate tissue culture, hybridization and improvement work; 4. organization of awareness camp, which will help in capacity building of the farmers, students and teachers; 5. established arboretum will serve as an education centre for students, teachers and researchers and also a centre for recreation and aesthetic value; and 6. establishment and maintenance of the proposed species will help in bringing out a list of seeds and seedlings available for distribution to local communities and maintain exchange relations with other botanic gardens.

Experimental Botanical Garden, Botanical Survey of India, Western Circle (BSI-WC), Pune-411001, Maharashtra (Project Leaders: Dr.P.S.N.Rao & Dr.V.P.Prasad)
Email: bsi-wcpune@vsnl.net

The project aims at : 1. collection, introduction, propagation and ex situ conservation of 38 rare and threatened species of legumes of the Western Ghats of Maharashtra at the experimental garden, Botanical Survey of India, Western Circle, Pune. 2. maintenance of seed bank of endemic and threatened legumes of Maharashtra.

The target species are : Alysicarpus pubescens var. vasavadae, A. salim-ali, A. tetragonolobus var. pashanensis, Cajanus lineatus, C. sericea, Clitoria biflora, Crotalaria fillipes var. trichophora, C. leptostachya, C. lutescens, C. notonii, C. tecta, Dalbergia heyneana, Flemingia gracilis, F. nilgheriensis, F. praecox var. robusta, F. rollae,F. tuberosa, Geissapsis tenella, Indigofera dalzellii, I. santapaui, I. trita var. purandharensis, Nogra dalzellii, Pterocarpus marsupium var. acuminata, Sesbania procumbens, Smithia agharkarii, S. gracilis, S. hirsuta, S. purpurea,S. pycnantha,S. salsuginea, S. setulosa, Sphenostylis bracteatus, Tephrosia canarensis, Vigna khandalensis, Cassia kolabensis, Moullava spicata.

Botanic Garden, M.S.University of Baroda(MSUB), Vadodara-390002, Gujarat
(Project Leader : Prof. Yogesh T Jasrai)
Email: yjsrai@yahoo.com

The major objectives of this programme are: 1. to collect endangered, rare and endemic plants of Gujarat (Helichrysum cutchicum (Clarke) Rao et Deshpande, Dillenia pentagyna Roxb., Tribulus rajasthanensis Bhandari et Sharma, Careya arborea Roxb., Oroxylum indicum (L.) Vent., Curculigo orchioides Gaertn.) and their maintenance, including multiplication for conservation in the MSU-Botanical Garden, besides enhancing the ex situ collection of RET species of Gujarat (Buchanania lanzan Spreng., Campylanthus ramosissimus Wight, Capparis cartilligenea Decne, Careya arborea Roxb., Cochlospermum religiosum (L.) Alst., Commiphora wightii (Arnott.) Bhandari, Convolvulus stocksii Boiss., Dendrobium microbulbon A. Rich, Firmiana colorata (Roxb.) R.Br., Gloriosa superba L., Hyphaene indica Beccari, Ipomoea kotschyana Hochst. ex Choisy, Melia dubia Cav., Phanera integrifolia (Roxb.) Bth., Polycarpaea spicata Wt. & Arn., Radermachera xylocarpa (Roxb.) K. Schum, Sarcostemma acidium (Roxb.) Voigt, Senra incana Cav., Solanum incanum L., Tecomella undulate (Sw.) Seem, Zygophyllum simplex L.); 2. to generate awareness among the masses about the loss of plant diversity due to various reasons and its solutions.