Plant diversity of Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra, India: a brief survey

Suresh Jagtap,Sourav Mukherjee

doi:10.15560/9.1.51

Abstract

A qualitative survey was carried out during 2005- 2010 of all indigenous and naturalized plants of Gadchiroli district, Maharashtra, India. There are 237 species belonging to 184 genera and 73 families which are listed in this paper. Out of 73 families listed, 63 belong to dicotyledonae and 10 belong to monocotyledonae. Dominant families were Fabaceae (21 genera), Acanthaceae (12 genera) followed by Asteracece (9 genera). The nomenclature system followed in this paper is up to date. Three plants (1.63%) listed in this paper come under Vulnerable (VU) and two (1.09%) comes under Lower Risk (LR) categories. Eleven genera (5.98%) are reported to be endemic to Maharashtra state of India. Only one plant species (Agave americana var. americana) was not native of the area and is cultivated. Voucher specimens of the representative plants are submitted at Medicinal Plants Conservation Center (MPCC), Pune, Maharashtra, and the voucher number is provided along with names of plants.

Highlights

In recent years, comprehensive floristic accounts have been published for various states, districts and regions of India (Kumar et al 2007)
Many of the plants listed in this paper are utilized for medicinal purposes by the local tribal people, for example tree like Butea monosperma, Lannea coramandelica, Holarrhena pubescens, Pterocarpus marsupium, Soymida febrifuga, shrubs like Ceriscoides turgida, Gardenia resinifera, and herbs like Andrographis paniculata, Cullen corylifolia, Curculigo orchioides and Orthosiphon rubicundus
Thirty two (32; 43.8 %) families were represented by single genus and single species in the study area

Summary

Introduction

Comprehensive floristic accounts have been published for various states, districts and regions of India (Kumar et al 2007). Many of the plants listed in this paper are utilized for medicinal purposes by the local tribal people, for example tree like Butea monosperma, Lannea coramandelica, Holarrhena pubescens, Pterocarpus marsupium, Soymida febrifuga, shrubs like Ceriscoides turgida, Gardenia resinifera, and herbs like Andrographis paniculata, Cullen corylifolia, Curculigo orchioides and Orthosiphon rubicundus. The study aims to provide a list of plants occurring in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra state of India. The botanical names of plants are given under family names (arranged alphabetically) followed by distribution, local names and the voucher specimen number under which the specimens are deposited at the MPCC.

Results

Conclusion