The trees in bloom in Singalila. (Kundan Yolmo)

Siliguri, May 11: The forest department along with St Joseph’s College is conducting a survey in wildlife I division, which includes a national park and a sanctuary, to assess the status of various species of rhododendrons that lend colour to the Darjeeling hills in spring.

Come spring and the hills are covered with hues of red, the colour of most species of the tree.

The survey in Singalila National Park at 4,000ft and Senchal Wildlife Sanctuary at 3,500ft, and its adjoining forest areas comes close on the heels of Sikkim celebrating a rhododendron festival, in which the Himalayan state had brought European experts to study the trees.

“Old records available with us indicate that about 28 species of rhododendrons are found in the eastern Himalayan region particularly in Sikkim and the Darjeeling hills. We felt the need to update the data and have taken up this exercise to make a status survey,” said Sumita Ghatak, the divisional forest officer, wildlife-I.

“The survey, which began last month, is being conducted with the botany department of St Joseph’s College in Darjeeling,” she added.

The rhododendrons are mostly found in Sandakphu and Phalut at Singalila and in certain places at Neora Valley National Park, also at 4,000ft, and the sanctuary at Senchal.

Rhododendrons are known to have medicinal use. Some botanists claim that petals of the species commonly known as Lali gurans are dried and can be consumed with sugar to cure blood dysentery, cough, jaundice, diabetes, and liver disorders.

Joseph Dalton Hooker, a botanist, was the first one to enlist the different species of rhododendrons found in the eastern Himalayas.

Hooker visited Darjeeling in 1846 and he had collected about 7,000 species of plants, including rhododendrons, from various places in India and Nepal. After his return to England, he classified and named them. This led to the inclusion of 25 new species of rhododendrons. Hooker published his findings in the Himalayan Journals in 1854.

“The rapid construction of houses and use of wood as fuel, along with natural calamities like landslides, are reasons why several species of rhododendrons are fast disappearing from the forests in the hills,” said a senior forest official.

“A study to know the exact number of existing species and the causes for the depletion of the others, a comprehensive conservation plan is the need of the hour,” said an environmentalist.

The divisional forest officer said the department will try to find out if any species have degenerated or is degenerating fast.

“In that case, we will try to assess the probable reasons and whether the presence of wildlife in the forests like Singalila is causing any negative impact on the growth of the rhododendrons,” Ghatak said.

According to the officer, 12 to 15 species are found in the forests under wildlife division-I.

The department had also approached some local NGOs to work with them on the survey.

“This will help our task as being locals, the NGO members are well aware of the various species and the forests and they can work better than people from outside for whom the terrain is unknown,” the forester said.