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Question 16 of 30 · Biodiversity, National Parks & Wildlife
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The state tree of Karnataka is:

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Answer: Option B — Sandalwood

Detailed Solution

The sandalwood tree ("Santalum album", known as "Shrigandha" or "Gandhada mara" in Kannada) is the state tree of Karnataka.

About sandalwood:

  • It is a small evergreen tree valued for its fragrant heartwood and oil.
  • It is a partial root parasite: it gets some of its water and nutrients from the roots of nearby host plants.
  • The heartwood and its oil are used in perfumes, incense sticks, cosmetics, soaps, medicines, religious rituals and carvings.
  • It grows mainly in the dry forests of the Deccan plateau, especially in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
  • Karnataka is called "Gandhada Gudi" ("temple of sandalwood") and the "Land of Sandalwood".
  • Mysore sandalwood is world-famous for its quality; "Mysore Sandalwood Oil" and "Mysore Sandal Soap" have GI tags.

The Government Soap Factory was set up in Bengaluru in 1916 by the Maharaja of Mysore, Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV, and the Diwan M. Visvesvaraya. It is now Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL), which makes Mysore Sandal Soap.

Because of high demand, sandalwood was heavily smuggled. The notorious smuggler Veerappan operated in the forests along the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border until he was killed in 2004.

Sandalwood trees were once owned by the government even if they grew on private land; Karnataka relaxed these rules in 2001 and later to encourage farmers to grow it.

The species is listed as "Vulnerable" by the IUCN.

The Institute of Wood Science and Technology in Bengaluru carries out research on sandalwood.

Other state symbols of Karnataka:

  • State animal: Asian elephant.
  • State bird: Indian roller (Neelakanta).
  • State flower: Lotus.
  • State language: Kannada (a classical language since 2008).
  • The Karnataka film industry is nicknamed "Sandalwood", as Hindi cinema is called "Bollywood".

State trees of other states:

  • Maharashtra: Mango.
  • Andhra Pradesh: Neem.
  • Kerala: Coconut palm.
  • The Banyan is the national tree of India.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗The Mango is the state tree of Maharashtra.
  • ✗The Neem is the state tree of Andhra Pradesh.
  • ✗The Banyan is the national tree of India.

Quick tip

Remember: Karnataka state tree = Sandalwood ("Gandhada Gudi"; Mysore Sandal Soap, KSDL 1916); state animal = elephant; bird = Indian roller; flower = lotus; Kannada films = "Sandalwood".

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Biodiversity, National Parks & Wildlife — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Biodiversity, National Parks & Wildlife, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers biodiversity and its conservation: biodiversity hotspots, endangered and endemic species, the IUCN Red List, in-situ and ex-situ conservation, India's national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, tiger reserves and biosphere reserves, and wildlife conservation projects. Questions commonly ask in which state a national park is located and which animal it is known for (Kaziranga in Assam for the one-horned rhinoceros, and Gir in Gujarat for the Asiatic lion), when Project Tiger began (1973), and which regions of India are biodiversity hotspots. The number of protected areas changes as new ones are declared, so check the latest lists. Practise the biodiversity and conservation questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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