Did this grand old tree have to die?

Did this grand old tree have to die?

Staff Reporter

‘Probable cause of death is the concrete platform built around it’

— Photo: K. Murali Kumar

Gone: The Myrtaceae eucalyptus citriodora was a favourite among Lalbagh regulars.

BANGALORE: Myrtaceae eucalyptus citriodora, the tree of Australian origin that was much loved by Lalbagh regulars, is dead.

It was 95 years old. Even as recently as a few months back, it was green and healthy, a far cry from the shrivelled brown form it presented on Monday.
Cause

Those who knew the tree well concluded that the probable cause of death is the concrete platform built around it though authorities blamed the age factor.

The platform was built a year ago ostensibly to attract pigeons. And the tree, that lived close to a century near the Lalbagh West Gate, wilted, its bark turning brown and peeling off.
Green tree

Remembering the magnificent foliage, joggers recounted that the tree, till recently, was “green”, “healthy” and “alive.”

The Eucalyptus citriodora has a nice lemony aroma and is used in the preparation of herbal oils, cough syrup and so on.

“Why did the Horticulture Department authorities create a huge concrete platform when they knew the consequences? They are not supposed to be ignorant in such cases,” fumed ornithologist M.B. Krishna.

“A botanical garden is intended to have and exhibit exotic species, and is meant to assist research work. Of the some three trees of this species in Lalbagh, one is dead now,” said M.B. Krishna.
Pigeon colony

However, a senior Horticulture Department official said the platform, intended to raise a pigeon colony, would have become an additional attraction to tourists, and by providing grains, it would have attracted other birds such as sparrows and mynahs.

“It is an ordinary platform and the death of the tree coincided with the construction. The tree died because of age and the department did try to protect it,” the official said.

The decision to have a pigeon colony was taken some time ago by a high level committee comprising environmentalists and department officials to increase the bird population in Lalbagh.