A comprehensive checklist of endemic flora of Meghalaya, India

Abstract

The geographical distribution of plants of Meghalaya show that a total of 548 plant taxa belonging to 302 genera and 100 families are endemic to northeastern India or Indo-Burma or the eastern Himalaya region. Of these, 115 species are exclusively endemic to the state of Meghalaya. The dominant life form is epiphytes (25.4%), followed by trees (25%), shrubs (21.7%), herbs (21%), climbers (6.6%) and parasites (0.4%). In terms of species richness, Orchidaceae is the largest family with 146 species and Bulbophyllum is the dominant genera represented by 15 species. The present investigation reveals that most species considered endemic to the state of Meghalaya has extended geographic distribution to neighbouring states and other countries. Majority of the endemic taxa are restricted to protected areas such as national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, conservation reserves, and small forest patches preserved in the form of community forests or sacred groves. Lesser known species with small populations outside the protected areas are on the verge of extinction due to a number of anthropogenic activities, hence warranting immediate conservation measures.

Keywords

• conservation
• diversity
• forest fragmentation
• indo-burma hotspot
• northeastern india
• orchidaceae