The Division has standardized Nursery practices for:

Medicinal Plants

• Taxus baccata
• Aquilaria agallocha
• Terminalia arjuna
• Terminalia chebula
• Terminalia bellerica

Rare & Endangered Species

• Ilex khasiana
• Podocarpus nerifolia

Commercially Important Species

• Michelia champaca
• Toona ciliata
• Chukrassia tabularis

The Department has established a state-of-the-art Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory at Upper Shillong with the following objectives:

• Standardization of plant tissue culture protocol of rare and endangered plants, orchids, bamboo and medicinal plants of the region for large scale propagation.
• Conservation of rare and endangered plants, orchids, bamboo and medicinal plants through plant tissue culture techniques.
• Imparting knowledge of plant tissue culture techniques through training, workshops, etc. to students, farmers and Department officials.

Species for which tissue culture protocols have been standardized

Advantages of Tissue Culture Grown Seedlings

• High quality true to type seedlings
• Rapid large scale mass multiplication
• Round the year production
• Production of disease-free seedlings
• Easy transportation & lower cost
• Propagation of plants that fail to produce seeds or have long dormancy periods
• Conservation of endangered & endemic plants with poor germination capacity
• Orchid seed germination feasible via tissue culture — otherwise very difficult

The scheme "Conservation of Rare and Endangered Plants" is implemented by the Silviculture Division. So far, 55 hectares of plantation area of rare and endangered plant species have been successfully raised and maintained in different centres of the State. Prominent species planted include:

• Taxus baccata
• Carpinus viminea
• Podocarpus nerifolia
• Rhododendron arboreum
• Aquilaria agallocha

The only pitcher plant found in India, endemic to Meghalaya. A straggling scandent insectivorous shrub growing in undisturbed subtropical and tropical forests at elevations of 1000–1500 m MSL.

• Critically Endangered (IUCN)
• CITES Appendix I
• Wildlife Protection Act 1972 — Schedule VI

Medicinal Uses

The fluid in the unopened pitcher is used to treat eye, digestive and urinary ailments and for diabetes. The pitcher with its content is made into paste and applied on affected parts of leprosy patients.

Conservation Measures

Fire protection in dry months; habitat surveys conducted; tissue culture techniques standardised for multiplication; tissue culture grown plants used to restock natural habitat. Ex-situ conservation areas established at Laitkynsew, Mawsmai and Umkhuti.

The State of Meghalaya is famous for its beautiful orchids. About 300 species have been reported. A research laboratory was set up at Shillong to multiply and propagate orchids through tissue culture techniques. Tissue culture protocols of 19 orchid species have been standardized.

The scheme "Conservation of Medicinal Plants" is implemented by the Silviculture Division. 96 gene-pool conservation plots and 5 hectares of plantation area have been raised and maintained at different locations in East Khasi Hills, Ri Bhoi and East Garo Hills. Plots are of dimensions 6×6 m (herbaceous), 8×8 m (shrub) and 12×12 m (tree species).

Plant species conserved in these plots include:

• Rhus semialata
• Myrica nagi
• Gaultheria fragrantissima
• Rubus ellipticus
• Panax ginseng
• Potentilla fulgens
• Mentha arvensis
• Swertia chirata
• Solanum nigrum
• Acorus calamus
• Abroma agusta
• Azadirachta indica
• Averrhoa carambola
• Nepenthes khasiana
• Terminalia arjuna
• Terminalia chebula
• Terminalia bellerica
• Rauvolfia serpentina
• Asparagus racemosus
• Aquilaria agallocha
• Rhododendron arboreum
• Taxus baccata

Meghalaya is well endowed with bamboo resources. 38 species from 11 genera are found in the state. Bambusetum of 10 hectares each established at Rongrengiri (East Garo Hills) and Lumsohpetbneng (Ri Bhoi). A 2-hectare bamboo nursery at each centre produces quality planting stock.

The Silviculture Division has created nurseries at Umsaw (Ri-Bhoi), Sangmein, Upper Shillong, Umkhuti and Rongrengiri (East Garo Hills). Some of the plant species raised include:

• Podocarpus nerifolia
• Ilex khasiana
• Ilex excels
• Ilex venulosa
• Gymnocladus assamicus
• Aquilaria agallocha
• Magnolia lanuginosa
• Magnolia insignis
• Magnolia caveana
• Magnolia punduana
• Taxus baccata
• Taxus wallichiana
• Elaeocarpus prunifolius
• Acer laevigatum
• Carpinus viminea
• Terminalia bellerica
• Terminalia chebula
• Terminalia arjuna
• Rauvolfia serpentina
• Rauvolfia tetraphylla
• Dillenia indica
• Oroxylum indicum
• Phyllanthus emblica
• Garcinia pedunculata
• Myrica spp.