The Great Banyan Tree is one of the big draws at the Indian Botanic Garden

The 273-acre Indian Botanic Garden, home to The Great Banyan Tree, will mark its 225th anniversary this year.

On the occasion, the garden authorities will resume an annual flower show that was last held 15 years ago. “The annual flower show will be held from January 28 to 30 and will be inaugurated by the governor,” said H.S. Debnath, the director of the garden.

The show will have a competition section in which local growers, Howrah Municipal Corporation and the Agri-Horticultural Society of India are expected to take part.

The West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation will help the authorities promote eco-tourism in the garden.

The feasibility of a sight-and-sound show around the Great Banyan Tree is being considered. “We are rethinking the project because it might disturb the birds and butterflies in the garden,” said the director. Work on developing a butterfly garden will start next year.

A census of the plants and trees in the 25 divisions of the garden was conducted recently. “There are more than 14,000 species of plants and 1,200 species of trees in the garden. Of them, 500 species are rare. “The number of plants has increased significantly since the last census in 2007,” said Debnath.

One of the rare species being propagated in the garden now is the Double Coconut Tree (Lodoicea maldivica), which is indigenous to two of the 115 Seychelles Islands.

“A Double Coconut Tree lives 1,200 years and it takes about 100 years to know if it is male or female. We have a female tree in our garden since 1894. We have been trying to gather pollen from a male tree in Sri Lanka and induce pollen germination in the female tree for the past three years. Recently, we seem to have had success as we notice a swelling in the ovaries,” said Debnath.

The fruit will take 30 years to grow.

The star attraction remains the Great Banyan Tree, which predates the garden. In 1925, its main trunk, with a 16m circumference, was removed after an infection. The tree has more than 2,800 prop roots and covers 1.5 hectares. The circumference of its canopy is about 450 metres and gives the appearance of a small forest.

The garden established by Colonel Robert Kyd in 1787 was known as Company Bagan during the East India Company era. It was renamed as Indian Botanic Garden after Independence and dedicated to Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose during his birth centenary celebrations in 2009.

The Howrah landmark is among the oldest and largest gardens in Southeast Asia. It played an important role in the economic development of the country by propagating and shipping commercial plant species like cardamom, pepper, nutmeg, cotton, tobacco, indigo, coffee, sago, teak and plant products like spices and timber for ship building to England.

“Kyd had convinced the queen of England to take over the garden by emphasising its economic potential,” said Debnath.

In recent times, untoward incidents like the fire on Republic Day last year and tree felling, have raised questions about the upkeep of the garden.

“Lakhs of people visit the garden between December 25 and January 26. It is impossible to keep an eye on everyone with the skeleton security staff we have. I have asked for a fire engine to be stationed inside the garden during this period,” said the director.