Pune’s Dussehra market is facing scrutiny after a Civic Mirror inspection at Mahatma Phule Mandai found that more than 80% of the leaf bundles being sold as traditional apta leaves were allegedly from other Bauhinia species. The reported substitution has raised concerns about consumer deception, unregulated leaf harvesting and damage to the city’s urban tree cover.
The leaves were being sold in small bundles for Rs 15 to Rs 20 during Vijayadashami, when families traditionally exchange apta leaves as symbolic gold. According to the report, many buyers were unaware that the leaves they purchased might not have come from the asli apta tree, identified in the report as Bauhinia racemosa.
A vendor at the market, Sunita Salve, told Civic Mirror that customers generally cannot distinguish the apta tree from similar-looking species. She said genuine apta trees are mainly found in remote forest areas and rural locations, where farmers and Forest Department officials restrict large-scale leaf collection. Vendors therefore bring branches from private farmhouses and suburban plots, where similar trees are often grown as natural fencing, according to her account.
The report identified yellow orchid tree, or Bauhinia tomentosa, purple orchid tree, or Bauhinia purpurea, and Burmese silk orchid tree among the species whose leaves may be sold as apta leaves. While the leaves can look similar because many Bauhinia species have a two-lobed, camel-hoof-like shape, the report said there are visible differences in size, texture, colour and density.
Genuine apta leaves are described as relatively small, measuring about 2 to 5 centimetres in width, with a thicker, slightly leathery texture and a pale or yellowish-green colour. Substitute leaves are generally larger, thinner, darker and smoother. The branches sold as substitutes may also carry many more leaves, often collected from dense ornamental hedges and boundary plantations. The report said genuine leaves may release a distinctive herbal odour when rubbed.
The concern extends beyond mislabelling at festival stalls. Civic Mirror reported that branches of ornamental Bauhinia trees along roads, on private properties and in public gardens are being cut to meet seasonal demand. These trees contribute to the city’s green cover and can provide small habitats for insects and other organisms. Unregulated cutting can reduce their foliage and weaken urban vegetation, according to the report.
Botanist Mahesh Sardesai told Civic Mirror that the annual commercial demand is affecting biodiversity in Pune and its outskirts. He said the harvesting pressure is not limited to the relatively scarce Bauhinia racemosa, but also affects ornamental Bauhinia purpurea and Bauhinia tomentosa trees within the city.
Tree conservation worker Vinod Jain called for action against illegal transportation and unauthorised cutting. He also suggested that the Forest Department and local administration promote planned cultivation of genuine apta trees while regulating the commercial harvesting and sale of similar-looking leaves during Dussehra.
The report also quoted a devotee, Sahil Pagare, who said selling leaves from ornamental trees as apta leaves for profit undermines the religious significance of the tradition. The immediate administrative response and any enforcement measures by the Forest Department or local authorities were not specified in the supplied report.
