The native taxa of Arecaceae in India: a review

Abstract

The present review study is an attempt to assemble and scrutinize major taxonomic and floristic works on the family Arecaceae and present revised information both on diversity and geography of the family in India. The study enumerates total 85 native taxa (84 species and one subspecies) belonging to 19 genera of Arecaceae in the country, where the genus Calamus is represented by 35 taxa (34 species and one subspecies), and remaining genera by less than ten species each. The present list of accepted species includes synonyms, data on their distribution, ecology (forest types, elevation) and status in the country. Among these 85 taxa, 21 species are currently considered under five different categories of IUCN, i.e. twelve species are attributed to Least Concern category, five to Vulnerable, three to Near Threatened, and one species to Endangered and Extinct in the Wild respectively. Total eleven species are endemic to India where one species is distributed in Peninsular India, one in Peninsular and Nicobar Islands, one in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra, two in Nicobar Islands, two in Andaman Islands, two in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and two in Western Ghats. Majority of the species were found to be confined to evergreen and rain forests. The species occur from lowlands to 2400 m elevation. Common cultivated taxa are excluded here. 
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