Banspata (বাঁশ পাতা/ Podocarpus neriifolius) an endangered indigenous species of Bangladesh

Banspata (Podocarpus neriifolius) or pencil wood is a large evergreen tree with whorled branches. It belongs to the family Podocarpaceae and is the only conifer wood (softwood/gymnospermous wood) timber tree species that naturally occurs in Bangladesh (ref: banglapedia). It is an indigenous endangered species of critical ecological significance. But due to lack of awareness about this species indiscriminate cutting is occurring and it has been now critically threatened in its natural habitat. 

Fig: A Banspata tree

Field Characters:

·         Large canopy tree (up to 40 m high);

·         Bole: cylindrical (60-100 cm diam.) or sometimes markedly fluted; straight (bole up to 30 m long);

·         buttresses absent;

·         spines absent;

·         aerial roots absent;

·         stilt roots absent;

·         Bark: pale grey, pale brown, or black, rough, scaly or flaky, peeling (rarely in narrow strips), or pustular, lenticels irregular; 

Fig: Bark & Subhytidome of Banspata

·         Subrhytidome (under-bark): dark red or black (rarely with lighter pinkish stripes);

·         bark blaze: consisting of one layer;

·         outer blaze: red or brown, markings absent, fibrous or granular without splinters;

·         inner blaze: red or brown, markings absent, fibrous or granular without splinters;

·         bark exudate (sap): present or absent (sometimes or appearing so), colorless, not readily flowing (spotty), color not changing on exposure to air, not sticky;

·         terminal buds not enclosed by leaves.

Leaves: Leaves spaced along branches, spiral (leaves occurring singly at a node and arranged spirally up the branchlet), simple (a leaf composed of a single blade); petiole present. Leaves are linear & lenceolate, about 12-25 cm long.

Fig: Leaves of Banspata

Flowers: Inflorescence axillary, flowers single (female flowers) or flowers on an unbranched axis (male flowers), cones absent; flowers unisexual, unisexual with male and female flowers on different plants, not stalked (male flowers) or stalked (female flowers), perianth absent (actually present but reduced to scales); stamens 1, absent, free of each other; ovary superior, carpels solitary, locules 1; styles absent.

Fruits: Infrutescence single, fruit 10.0-12.0 mm long, 8.0-10.0 mm diam., dark blue, not spiny, non-fleshy, simple, indehiscent, nut; seeds 1, not winged, broad (as wide as long).

Distribution: naturally in the forests of Cox’s bazaar, Chittagong, greater Sylhet and Chittagong hail tracts. Due to clear felling of the forests this species has become endangered and will soon be extinct unless proper rescue measures are taken.


Present status of Banspata in Bangladesh:

Nos.	Area/Site	No. of individuals	Conditions	Remarks
1.	Masalong in Bagaichari	06	Naturally occurring, over mature and vulnerable	Extremely depleting trees
2.	Korerhat, Ctg(N) Forest divison	01	Planted in guest house premises	Pole stage
3.	Padua forest rest house premises	01	Planted in guest house premises	Pole stage
4.	Hazarikhill forests	02	Planted near silviculture office	trees
5.	Ukhia forests	02	Naturally occurring, illicit cutting	coppice
6.	Lawachara forests	02	Planted/natural	Trees
7.	Lawachara forests	Many but not established yet	Naturally occurring	Seedlings
8.	Lawachara	01	Planted near silviculture office	Saplings
9.	Sitakunda Eco-park	06	Planted at Eco-park	Pole stage
10.	Silviculture nursery, BFRI	03	Planted at BFRI premises	Pole stage
11.	IFESCU ( Institute of Forestry & Environmental Sciences, Chittagong University)	03	Planted at IFESCU campus	Pole stage
12.	Bot. garden & Soil res. Centre, Ctg university	02	Planted at CU campus	Pole stage
13.	Baldha garden	01	Planted	Tree
14.	National herbarium	01	Planted	Tree
15.	Botanical garden, Dhaka	47	Planted	Saplings, poles and trees
16.	Ukhia, Cox’s bazaar	15	Planted in office compound and homestead	Seedlings, saplings and poles
17.	Bangladesh agricultural university	05	Planted in the botanical garden	Tree, pole and sapling
18.	Jahangirnagar university	03	Planted in the botanical garden	Pole and sapling
Total		101

A recolonization process and mass propagation of Banspata is going on in the Institute of Forestry & Environmental Sciences, Chittagong University undertaken by Prof. M. Kalimuddin Bhuiyan.

 Seeds were collected from Lawachara and botanical garden, Dhaka and seedlings were raised in the propagator house of IFESCU nursery. Cutting were collected from different provenances and were placed in sand (Sylhet sand) bed of the propagator house of IFESCU for rooting and stecklings were produced and planted in the field conditions. 

They raised 565 seedlings from seeds and produced 8500 stecklings in the nursery. 575 seedlings and stecklings have already been planted in CU campus. 255 seedlings and stecklings have been distributed to BCSIR ctg, Sitakunda Eco-park and CODEC, south forest division, cox’s bazaar, Rangamati forest division, P.H.P. Chittagong.