The University of Kerala has christened a local mango variety found on its Palayam campus in the capital city as 'KU Mambazham.' The tree, which stands near the Department of English, is thought to be about 150 years old, according to the university's Centre for Biodiversity Conservation (CBC) which has launched conservation efforts.
University Vice Chancellor V. P. Mahadevan Pillai formally announced the name at a brief function on Wednesday. The ‘KU’ in the mango’s name stands for ‘Kerala University. ‘
The fruit from the tree weighs about one kg and is quite delicious, says A. Gangaprasad, professor and director, Centre for Biodiversity Conservation, Department of Botany.
‘Nowhere else’
The tree has been studied as part of a wider research on local mango varieties undertaken by CBC, Dr. Gangaprasad said. The CBC is now engaged in efforts to produce grafted saplings. ''As far as we know, this local variety has not been encountered elsewhere,'' he said.
Senior officials of the university were present at the function.
