Cycas Circinalis

Cycas Circinalis

News: Cycas circinalis is on the verge of extinction in the northern part of the Kerala state. Farmers are calling for urgent conservation measures to save this invaluable botanical resource.

About:
• It is popularly known as Eenthu Pana in Kerala.
• It is known by different names like Mund isalu (Kannada), madana kama raja (Tamil) and Malabari supari (Marathi) in different states.
• It belongs to cycads (family Cycadaceae), which are one of the world’s most threatened plant groups.
• These family trees have originated 300 million years ago during the Carboniferous period, cycads are the oldest extant group of seed plants.

Key features
• It is an evergreen palm-like tree that grows up to 25 ft. It typically occurs in fairly dense, seasonally dry scrubby woodlands in hilly areas.
• Eenthu Pana is like areca nut. It cannot be prepared unless it’s completely dry and this is difficult as it’s usually plucked in the rainy season
• It is known to be an Indian endemic, restricted to the Western Ghats, in the states of Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and the south of Maharashtra. Out of the nine species of cycads recognised within India, six are endemic.