PUNE The Pune Municipal Gardens (PMC) has allowed the Inner Wheel Club of Pune, district 313, to develop part of a public garden to grow medicinal plants.
Six hundred medicinal plants have been planted in the Kamala Nehru Park on Bhandarkar road and this nursery will be officially inaugurated on Friday at 11 am.
“It was in the first week of July 2021, we had held a massive plantation drive in Hirwai garden of PMC. It was while doing our tree plantation project that the PMC officials were impressed by our enthusiasm and determination to work at this age, with 90% of our club members senior citizens. This is an opportunity to showcase some of the plants that Ayurveda has used as medicines and can also become a point of education,” said Swapna Pednekar, president, Inner Wheel Club of Pune, district 313.
The medicinal plants that have taken root include Cymbopogon flexuosus, aka Lemon Grass; Withania Somnifera or Indian Ginseng; and Chrysopogon Zizaniodes, or Khas, among others. The plantation is spread over 2,000 sq feet
Ashok Ghorpade, garden superintendent, PMC said, “They had come to us asking for land to plant trees and we allowed them medicinal plants so that people will be encouraged to learn more about medicinal qualities of plants. It will also be good for health and the environment.”
{{/usCountry}}Ashok Ghorpade, garden superintendent, PMC said, “They had come to us asking for land to plant trees and we allowed them medicinal plants so that people will be encouraged to learn more about medicinal qualities of plants. It will also be good for health and the environment.”
{{/usCountry}}The 600 medicinal plants are of 18 different varieties. “We have also made 18 boards in Marathi and English with the plant photograph, name, uses and environmental benefit. Each board has a QR Code and URL. All these boards were designed and permanently erected in 18 different sections of the garden by the Inner Wheel Club,” said Pednekar