The Lalbagh Gardens are now home to the second largest Cactus House in the world
The Lalbagh Gardens are now home to the second largest Cactus House in the world
In just two weeks, Bangalore will be on the world map for all the right reasons. Keeping up with its rich horticultural traditions, Lalbagh is soon to become home to the world's second largest xerophyte park.
Spread over 6,000 sq feet, the Cactus House is a transparent structure that has taken almost seven years to complete. Modelled after the Kew Gardens in London, the Cacti Park is being lauded as the second largest in the world.
The park came into being when in 2002, the authorities at Lalbagh decided to collect several species of these dry-climate lovers for botanical research. The idea soon evolved into a blueprint for the present Cactus House. 
World known
"We want to elevate these botanical gardens to international recognition," said Dr N Jayaram, director of horticulture, Lalbagh. "Other than Cacti, we also hope to open Orchid and Pteridophyte houses shortly," he added.
The deputy director of horticulture, Lalbagh, Dr M Jagadish adds, "Our purpose is to propagate the growth of these cacti, but we are also thinking of selling later."
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Public caution
The department is however cautious about allowing visitors to get full access to these plants. "These are very rare and endangered species and will be destroyed if we allow the public without any instruction. The public also often ignore every instruction we beg them to adhere to, so we're appointing separate guards and might possibly have a separate fee to enter the area," Dr Jagadish said.
Botanist Krishnaraju, in-charge of growing these plants agrees, "Apart from maintaining a constant temperature and light, the authorities shouldn't allow the public inside the house. They should instead watch it from the outside," he adds.u00a0 A final decision on the separate fee will however be taken by a committee in charge of such matters.
The department currently has more than 1,500 varieties of cacti and is increasing its collection to reach around 2,500 in about three years. Lalbagh however, currently has nearly 300 varieties of such xerophytes, including rare species like Opuntia and Gasteria.
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