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The story of Kakoli
Hello, I am Kakoli. I am a rare and endangered bulbous plant found in wild pastures of Himalayan ranges. I have many medicinal benefits and my bulbs are used for treating chronic respiratory disorders like asthma. Because of my rarity and importance I fetch a very high price in the market. Many people collect me from the wild, to make various medicines. But since I am a slow growing plant, I take time to recover. My seeds can sleep for 3 to 6 years before germinating!
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Due to this long recovery cycle and frequent illegal collection, I am slowly dying away in the wild. I have some friends in Palampur who are trying to keep me alive. They collect a few bulbs from me and try to germinate them in the lab. Once a stable plant, I am once again replanted in the wild. This way they are helping with stabilising my population. You can help me too by spreading this message and ensuring no endangered plants are illegally collected from the wild.
Illustrated by Deepshikha Sharma
Key Words
Endangered species
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to die off in the near future
Chronic disease
Chronic disease is an illness which keeps coming back or is ongoing for a long time.
Activity
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Find out about local wild plants in your village.
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What are they used for and why are they important?
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Draw a picture of the plant and send it to us on our WhatsApp - 7650002777
Attributions:
Information curated by Prof. Pankaj Kumar from Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni (Solan, Himachal Pradesh) for young readers in Himalayan villages. His research focuses on conservation of endangered Himalayan medicinal plants.