| Abstract Detail
Recent Topics Posters Gandhi, Kanchi N. [1], Shrestha, Uttam Babu [1], Ramamurthy, Kailash B. [1]. Floristic Analysis of the Indian Vegetation. Flora of India is a collaborative project between the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment, Bangalore, the University of Agricultural Science, Bangalore, the Missouri Botanical Garden, the Harvard University Herbaria, and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The uniqueness of this floristic project is to provide type information for most names (accepted & synonyms) and also GIS map and images. The country, with an area of 1.26 million sq. miles and a coastline of 3,500 miles, has four biodiversity hot spots (Himalaya, Indo-Burma & Western Ghats in the mainland; Nicobar Islands (part of Sundaland hotspot). The Indian floristic region, which belongs to Paleotropical Kingdom, is estimated to have 18,000 vascular plant species. The class Magnoliopsida has ca. 175 families, ca. 1,950 genera, and 13,500 species (ca. 4,000 endemic), whereas the class Liliopsida has ca. 40 families, ca. 4,200 species (ca. 1,100 endemic). The dominant families include Orchidaceae, Fabaceae s.l., 3) Poaceae, 4) Rubiaceae, 5) Euphorbiaceae, 6) Acanthaceae, 7) Asteraceae, 8) Cyperaceae, 9) Lamiaceae, and 10) Urticaceae. The dominant genera (>100 species) are 1) Bulbophyllum, 2) Carex, 3) Dendrobium, 4) Eria, 5) Eugenia, 6) Ficus, 7) Habenaria, 8) Impatiens, 9) Pedicularis, 10) Strobilanthes s.l. Unique distribution: a) in South India: Acanthaceae, Lamiaceae, Podostemaceae, Rubiaceae, Ceropegia, Crotalaria, Tephrosia; b) in South India & Himalaya: Annonaceae, Impatiens; c) in South India & Northwest India: Euphorbs; d) Gangetic plains (lower): Nepenthes; e) Himalaya: Brassicaceae, Caryophyllaceae (both families Mediterranean), Fumariaceae, Papaveraceae (both families North Asian), Primulaceae, Ranunculaceae, Rosaceae, Saxifragaceae, Rhododendron (forms a belt), and Vaccinium. The Dipterocarpaceae and Pentaphyllaceae link India with Malaysia, and Cappareae and Ancistrocladaceae suggest an influx from Africa. The Tibetan Plateau seems to act as a barrier between South China and India. The genera Castanea, Fagus, and Tilia, which have temperate distribution, are absent in temperate Himalaya. The Gondwana fossils include Glossopteris and Vertebraria. Broader Impacts:
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1 - Harvard University Herbaria, 22 Divinity Ave, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
Keywords:
Indian
Flora
Analysis
endemism
Types
Dominance.
Presentation Type: Recent Topics Poster
Session: P
Location: Hall A/Convention Center
Date: Monday, August 2nd, 2010
Time: 5:30 PM
Number: PRT021
Abstract ID:1124 |
