The Museum of Trees in Chandigarh, created and curated by author and environmentalist D S Jaspal, added a new highlight to its collection on Monday with the planting of a Manuka (Leptospermum scoparium) tree, the species famed worldwide as the source of Manuka honey.

The sapling, propagated in the museum’s Plant Breeding Centre, was planted in the Kiwi Grove, an enclosure dedicated to iconic trees of New Zealand that already features three species: Kauri, Totara, and Black Beech.

The ceremonial planting was carried out by Joanna Gill, sister-in-law of former New Zealand cricket captain Glenn Turner, marking what organisers described as a symbolic gesture of “ecological friendship” between India and New Zealand.

Among those present were Aman Jaspal, Vinod Sharma, Sukhi Gill, Sameena, Ama

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