Shirui Lily grows taller in Kashong's dense forests
Source: Hueiyen News Service / R Lester Makang
Ukhrul, April 12 2015 :
While the rare and endangered State Flower Shirui Lily is believed to have drastically declined both in number and size due to its degrading biodiversity over the last decade or so, some dense forest areas within the range of the peak, locally known as Kashong continues to provide a safe abode for a moderate number of the flower's plants which are amazingly as tall as 5 to 6 feet .
The only place in the whole world where the unique Shirui Lily grows is the Shirui Kashong Peak, located about 18 km.
towards East from the Ukhrul district headquarters.
In recent years, there were severe apprehensions that the world-famed flower is declining and that it might actually become extinct in the foreseeable future if stringent measures are not taken up to stop various human activities responsible for wide-scale degrading of the previously rich biodiversity of the Shirui forest.
However, all is not lost as yet and some portions on the north-eastern sides of Shirui Kashong which have been left relatively untouched by the destructive activities of mankind seem to be giving a glimmer of hope.
"It is only on this side that we managed to locate around 9 Shirui Lily plants during blooming season last year some of which were almost taller than human measuring around 6 feet," narrated Shirui villagers who came along as guides while showing a 5-feet-long dried stem of Shirui lily.
They said that even this time they have spotted some 5/6 lily plants on the same sides which have already attained the height of about 3 feet, adding that the shortest flowers measure about 2 feet during the peak bloom season which is Mid-May to early June.
Meanwhile, a sizeable number of new green lily shoots have started sprouting up all over the ground from the last mountain leading to the Kashong Peak which could be easily trampled down by the visitors if there are not careful.
"The threat of extinction posed to this majestic flower is actually artificial and is largely caused by unchecked activities of mankind," they asserted.
Obviously, due to widespread burning of the mountain slopes for slash-and-burn cultivation and indiscriminate felling of trees for commercial purpose by the private land owners in the immediate environs of the Shirui Kashong range, the heritage today is fast losing its lush green vegetation.
While on the one hand, this subsistence related destruction of the thick forest is one main unstoppable factor -- in the absence of any government policy to relocate the livelihood means of the locals -- for hampering the overall growth of the famed lily, the rampant purposeless burning of the mountain sides by unknown miscreants apart from turning the peak as grazing ground for local cattle is, on the other, aggravating the dismal scenario.
A huge portion of the hill slopes especially on the south-west sides overlooking the Shirui habitation could be seen burnt haphazardly.
"These were set afire by unknown people without any purpose and we are trying to track them down," another villager answered on quizzing about the use of burning the hill sides.
Meanwhile, an awareness campaign cum plantation program of Shirui Lily was organized by ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region Manipur in collaboration with KVK Ukhruland Shirui Village Authority on 10 April at Shirui Kashong Peak where around 100 tissue culture raised Shirui Lily plantlets were planted on first experimental basis in an attempt to save the rare and jeopardized species under the current changing climatic conditions.
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