Pinanga andamanensis is a rare palm endemic to the South Andaman Island. The name is derived from ‘Penang’, the modern-day Malaysian state.
- It has been replanted at Palode, Thiruvananthapuram by the Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI). By conserving this plant on the Indian mainland, JNTBGRI can ensure its continued survival in the event of its minuscule original home getting wiped out.
- Pinanga andamanensis resembles the areca palm to which it is closely related.
- Its entire population of some 600 specimens naturally occurs only in a tiny, evergreen forest pocket in South Andaman’s Mount Harriet National Park.
- Scientists termed the Pinanga andamanensis “a critically endangered species.
- It was originally described by the Italian botanist Odoardo Beccari in 1934. After that first identification, it was thought to be extinct till 1992.
- In 1992 a few specimens at the Mount Harriet National Park were recorded.
Source: The Hindu
