KARACHI: In the sizzling summer what provides respite to some is the melodious call of a koel or the sight of an Amaltas, surely one of the most attractive trees with its bright yellow flowers.

Also known as the golden rain tree, the Amaltas presents a spectacular view in summer, a sight that could make you forget the harshness of the weather and life, albeit for a moment.

Sadly, its beauty has not been able to impress those at the helm of affairs; the indigenous species has always been ignored in successive officially-initiated plantation campaigns in Karachi.

With only a few left, the tree still makes its presence felt at public places where they stand amidst the traffic chaos and dust.

Senior ecologist Prof Zafar Iqbal Shams of Karachi University’s Institute of Environmental Studies is one of the few experts who has been keenly following the changing dynamics of the city’s flora and has also documented the number of remaining Amaltas in recent surveys.

He shared the findings of his study conducted last year. “Our team could only find 11 trees of Amaltas out of a total of 6,508 trees of various species in an extensive research of 18 towns [of Karachi]. The study was carried out with the help of a sampling technique which requires analysis of 10 per cent area of the total zone. It showed that Karachi had less than one tree of Amaltas per town on its streets.”

This year, the KU team is counting each and every tree individually and has so far recorded 11,296 trees of various species in parks and gardens of Karachi.

“We have found only 112 plants of Amaltas. The parks of Karachi should have 1,126 plants of Amaltas, which accounts for around 10 per cent of a single species of the total plantation under international standards,” he said, adding that the study was still ongoing.

On its distribution and uses, Rafiul Haq, consultant ecologist and member of the Commission on Ecosystem Management, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Amaltas (Cassia fistula) was native to the Indian subcontinent and adjacent regions of Southeast Asia. It ranged from southern Pakistan, eastward throughout India to Myanmar and Thailand, and south to Sri Lanka.

“It’s a popular ornamental plant, besides being the state flower of Kerala in India and the national tree of Thailand. Its bark is used as a tanning material and wood ash as mordant in dyeing. Various parts of the plant, also described as disease-killers, are reputed to have a number of medicinal properties,” he said.

He regretted what he described as the rapid loss of native flora, especially of the Amaltas.

“It’s ironic to see (illegal) conversion of public parks into residential blocks which led to a substantial loss of Amaltas in areas such as North Nazimabad and Nazimabad. The species had been flourishing till the mid-eighties in almost all areas of Karachi,” he observed.

One major factor, he pointed out, that had contributed to the loss of native species in the city was the promotion of exotic species, such as the Conocarpus erectus (buttonwood), which were damaging to native biodiversity.

Prosopis juliflora (mesquite or devi), a shrub native to Mexico, South America and the Caribbean, according to experts, is another exotic species that has now spread across Pakistan, including Kashmir.

The shrub, also common in Karachi, releases harmful chemicals that have extreme negative effects on the growth and survival of other plants.

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2017