Studies on the Vascular Flora of Mahendragiri Hill and the Surrounding Regions, Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli Districts, Tamil Nadu

Abstract

The vascular flora of Mahendragiri hill and the surrounding areas of Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli Districts, Tamil Nadu, is dealt with in this paper. The floristic survey and investigations of the area reveal a varied and heterogeneous vegetetion. Tne vegetation varies from Southern tropical wet-evergreen, moist and dry deciduous to grassland and thorn forests. In all five exploration visits in different seasons were conducted which resulted in a collection of 831 field numbers distributed over 120 families, 398 genera and 579 species. About 21 species endemic to Tirunelveli and Travancore hill%, have been collected from this area. Of the families, Leguminosae, Gramineae, Euphorbiaceae, Rubiaceae, Acanthaceae, Labiatae, Orchidaceae, Arteraceae, Cyperaceze, Moraceae and Asclepizdaceae are in order of dominance. Pteridophytes are represented by 8 families, 14 genera and 16 species, the family Pteridaceae being dominant in having 6 genera and 7 species.