Arborescent angiosperms of Mundanthurai Range in the Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR) of the southern Western Ghats, India

Abstract

The present study was carried out to document the diversity of arborescent angiosperm taxa of Mundanthurai Range in the Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR) of the southern Western Ghats in India. During the floristic survey carried out from January 2008 to December 2010, a total of 247 species and intraspecific taxa of trees and shrubs representing 175 genera in 65 families were recorded. The most speciose families are Euphorbiaceae (27 spp.), Rubiaceae (17 spp.), Myrtaceae (14 spp.), Lauraceae (13 spp.) and Annonaceae (11 spp.). Of the 247 taxa, 27 species are endemic only to this region which includes Agasthiyamalaia pauciflora, Elaeocarpus venustus, Garcinia travancorica, Gluta travancorica, Goniothalamus rhynchantherus, Homalium travancoricum, Homaium jainii, Orophea uniflora, Phlogacanthus albiflorus, Polyalthia shendurunii, Symplocos macrocarpa and Symplocos sessilis. This clearly signifies that this range is relevant to the conservation of the local flora.