Munnar: In a rare spectacle that has drawn local attention, a cardamom plant is thriving atop a tree in Munnar. The unusual phenomenon was spotted on the property of Niravahu Kandathil N.I. Roy, a resident of Ambazhachal. The one-and-a-half-year-old plant, of the Njallani variety, is perched about 50 feet high on a Varichil tree.

Roy believes the plant may have sprouted naturally from seeds carried to the tree by birds or other animals. Fascinated by the rare occurrence, he is carefully nurturing the sapling with manure and pesticides, applying the same care as he does to other cardamom plants on his property.