Admin proposes ‘Shukpa’ and ‘Tsersnon’ as state tree, flower of Ladakh

Leh/Jammu, Dec 19 (PTI) The Ladakh administration has proposed Bhoti ‘Shukpa’ and Bhoti ‘Tsersnon’ as the state tree and state flower of the union territory of Ladakh, officials said.

The proposed state tree and state flower for the union territory of Ladakh are placed in the public domain for suggestions and comments from experts and the general public by the committee constituted for the purpose, Chairperson State tree and flower committee, Dr Padma Gurmet said.

After the detailed deliberations, the experts suggested Juniperus polycarpos (Shukpa) as the state tree and Meconopsis aculeata (Tsersnon) as the state flower of Ladakh, Dr Gurmet said.

Before submitting the final proposal for approval, the panel has sought views and suggestions of the general public and experts before January 7 next year, Chairperson said.

Shukpa is from the cupressaceae family and is commonly known as “Himalayan pencil cedar”, officials said. The plant is locally known as ‘Shukpa’ in Buddhist communities and ‘Chilgi’ among the Brokpa tribes of Ladakh.

The tree, which is confined to dry tracts of western and north-western Himalayas between 2,800 to 3,800 meters above sea level, is declining in its population due to low germination of seeds and over-exploitation, they said.

Similarly, Tsersnon belongs to the “Papaveraceae” family and is commonly known as “The Himalayan blue poppy”. Both the plant and flower are used as medicine in the Sow-Rigpa system, they said.