Guwahati, May 14: Memang narang (Citrus Indica) - an endangered species, which is believed to be the most "primitive" citrus - today got the coveted Geographical Indications (GI) tag. It is a wild Indian orange grown in Garo hills of Meghalaya.

Sources said the GI registration would help this rare species of citrus to get a distinctive identity on the national and international platforms for any commercial exploration and plant improvement.

The GI application for this product was made by North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Limited in 2011.

With the inclusion of memang narang on the GI tag list, the corporation has now 10 products as GI.

This is the second product of Meghalaya to have got the GI tag after the Khasi mandarin.

"A forest clearance had to be taken for this as it is an endangered species," a corporation official told The Telegraph.

The official said it is a proud moment for the corporation as all its 10 applications have been cleared and certified as GI products. It grows particularly in the Citrus Gene Sanctuary in Nokrek Biosphere Reserve.

The GI report said the memang narang is very small in size and not edible.

The fruits are mostly used as medicine to cure diseases like viral infection, kidney stone and many stomach ailments. According to the district horticultural office, in Tura, this species has been declared endangered and is under government regulation.

Threats to the species have included habitat destruction caused by slash-and-burn activity. Very low genetic diversity and destruction of its natural habitat pose a serious threat to it even in the sanctuary. The cultivation of the orange is done on a very small scale and is not highly marketed.

The quality of memang narang will be monitored by an internal watchdog mechanism to maintain the original physical and chemical characteristics as per GI registration.

Its price also depends on the size of the fruit and a normal memang narang is sold at Rs 10 a piece.