The Khudi Khejur, or wild date palm, recently listed as critically endangered in Bangladesh, has been found in the Kaliaganj Sal forest under the Dharmapur forest beat in Dinajpur's Birol upazila.
Around 150 to 200 plants of the rare species were identified in the forest, of which 20 to 30 bear fruit, said Md Mohosin Ali, beat officer of Dharmapur forest beat.
A team comprising a researcher, a scientific officer, and several forest officials visited the Koikuri Patatan area of the upazila on Sunday afternoon to observe the plants.
Professor Gazi Mosharraf Hossain of the botany department at Jahangirnagar University; Muhammad Saidur Rahman, senior scientific officer at the Bangladesh National Herbarium; Anwar Hossain Sarker, divisional forest officer; and Mannan Hossain, range officer of Sadar upazila, are among those leading ongoing conservation efforts.
A list of nearly 1,000 endangered plant species across the country has been prepared under an initiative by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to assess their status and implement conservation measures, said Mohosin.
Prof Gazi Mosharraf Hossain, who has been researching the Khudi Khejur found in the forest, said its scientific name is Phoenix acaulis and that the species is only found in the Birol Sal forest of Dinajpur.
The plant is a nearly trunkless dwarf palm with narrow, spiny leaves, and it bears fruit at its base. The fruit, similar in size to local date palms (around 4–5 cm), turns red when unripe and becomes deep blackish-purple, resembling jam when fully ripe. The taste is notably sweet, and the fruit ripens during the Bengali months of Baishakh and Jaistha.
Also known as Bon Khejur, the plant is exclusively found in Sal forests. Other wild date palm varieties, including Phoenix loureiroi, are also found in the Sal tracts of Madhupur and Sherpur.
Prof Gazi said he first encountered the plant in 2013 during a field visit to the Birol Sal forest with his students. Apart from Bangladesh, the plant is also found in India, Bhutan, and Pakistan.
In the 2019–2020 fiscal year, under the Forest Department's Sufol Project, the Bangladesh National Herbarium initiated an assessment of 1,000 naturally growing plant species across the country.
The assessment was conducted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Last year, the IUCN published two volumes based on its findings, listing five species as critically endangered, including the Khudi Khejur. The environment ministry has since launched conservation efforts as part of its broader biodiversity protection initiative.
Replying to a query, Prof Gazi said the wild date palm thrives in Sal forests as it is adapted to that environment.
Anwar Hossain, divisional forest officer of Dinajpur, said the Sal forest in Biral upazila spans 2,836 acres across 21 mouzas and is home to over a hundred tree species, including Sal, Teak, and Koroi.
"Among them, we have recently identified several Khudi Khejur plants scattered throughout the forest," he said.
"In the Kaliaganj section alone, we have found between 150 and 200 such trees, of which 20 to 30 have already borne fruit."
"As this species has been classified as critically endangered, we have already begun marking their locations and taking measures to ensure their conservation," he added.
