Pachmarhi of Madhya Pradesh, so-called "Queen of Satpura" is as much important hill station as Darjeeling of West Bengal, Nainital and Mussorie of Uttarakhand, Abu of Rajasthan. Satpura (for seven fold) hill range ranges between Narmada and Tapti rivers. The area was first explored by Captain Forsyth in 1862, who built the first bungalow (now office and museum of forest department) named as "Bison Lodge". Since then, a number of contributions in exploration of flora have been made by many botanists. Stewart and Brandis (1874), Gamble (1892), Mukerjee (1923), Kapoor and Yadav (1962), Panigrahi et al. (1967), Saxena (1973), Mukerjee (1984) are some masterpiece contributions.
Pachmarhi Biospere Reserve lies within areas of Hoshangabad, Betul, and Chhindwara Districts in Madhya Pradesh state in India. Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve spans between 22° 11' N – 22° 50' N and 77° 47' E – 78° 52' E with its center point at 22° 30’ N – 78° 19’ 30" E. Pachmarhi town is about 52 km south from Pipariya railway station on Hawrah-Mumbai railway line.
Geography
Rocks of Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve belong to Upper and Lower Gondwana series (550 - 180 million years ago). The rock is mostly composed of coarse sandstone and are sedimentary and metamorphic in nature. The soil is red and yellow clay mixed with gravel. The area have mostly wedge-shaped peaks, Dhupgarh being highest peak (1352 m) of Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve and Madhya Pradesh.
Flora of pachmarhi
Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve has valleys, streams, waterfalls and marshes. This junction has led to the occurance of a unique and mixture of varied flora. The objective of this article to provide a working guide to botanists for identification of plants of Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve. The photographs presented here are captured by Dr. Ovaid Akhtar.
Flora of pachmarhi
Colebrookea oppositifolia
Name:
Colebrookea oppositifolia
Date of photography:
01-03-2021; 15:25
Latitude:
22° 28' 48.28" N
Longitude:
78° 26' 19.71" E
Altitude:
988.9 m
Locality:
Jatashankar caves
Common name:
Indian Squirrel Tail
Family:
Lamiaceae
Habit:
Perennial shrub
Other details:
Medium sized shrub, growing 1-3 m tall; leaves opposite decaussate, dark green above, white hairy below; numerous tiny white flowers born in panicle of upright spike, flowering during December to April. Flowers spike resemble squirrel's tail.
Dodonaea viscosa
Name:
Dodonaea viscosa
Date of photography:
02-03-2021; 10:59
Latitude:
22° 27' 18.10" N
Longitude:
78° 26' 26.77" E
Altitude:
940.8 m
Locality:
Silver fall
Common name:
Hopbush
Family:
Sapindaceae
Habit:
Shrub
Other details:
Medium shrub, growing 1-3 m tall; leaves alternate, obovate to lanceolate; Flowers are yellow to orange-red, produced in panicles of up to 2.5 cm in length; fruit, capsule 1.5 cm broad, red ripening brown, 2 to 4 winged.
Buchanania lanzan
Name:
Buchanania lanzan
Date of photography:
02-03-2021; 10:59
Latitude:
22° 27' 13.19" N
Longitude:
78° 26' 43.07" E
Altitude:
945.5 m
Locality:
Silver fall
Common name:
Cuddapah almond (Chironji)
Family:
Anacardiaceae
Habit:
Tree
Other details:
Sub-deciduous tree, growing up to 18 m tall; bark with deep narrow cracks, resembling crocodile hide; leaves alternate, glabrous above and densely tomentose beneath; Flowers greenish-white, sessile, in terminal and axillary panicles; fruit drupe, small lentil sized, laterally compressed, black, stone hard, 2 valved; seed one, edible, nutritious.
Dicranopteris linearis
Name:
Dicranopteris linearis (Syn. Gleichenia linearis)
Date of photography:
02-03-2021; 11:53
Latitude:
22° 27' 9.81" N
Longitude:
78° 26' 38.72" E
Altitude:
856.2 m
Locality:
Apsara vihar
Common name:
Old World forked fern
Family:
Gleicheniaceae
Habit:
Rhizomatous fern
Other details:
Terrestrial, rhizomatous, creeping fern growing between up to 10 m (when supported by tree); stem branches at a 45° angle forming fronds. This fern is a pioneer species in secondary ecological succession.
Phragmites australis
Name:
Phragmites australis
Date of photography:
02-03-2021; 11:59
Latitude:
22° 27' 8.57" N
Longitude:
78° 26' 38.25" E
Altitude:
763.9 m
Locality:
Apsara vihar
Common name:
Common reed
Family:
Poaceae
Habit:
Perennial cane
Other details:
Wetland grass growing 2-4 m tall, can grow in wetland, standing water and on floating mat; leaves 18-60 cm long, 1-6 cm braod; flowering in late summer, in dense, dark purple panicle, 15–40 cm long. Inflorescence are used as brooms.
Schleichera oleosa
Name:
Schleichera oleosa
Date of photography:
02-03-2021; 14:03
Latitude:
22° 28' 30.30" N
Longitude:
78° 24' 26.63" E
Altitude:
893.6 m
Locality:
Bee fall
Common name:
Kusum tree, Ceylon oak
Family:
Sapindaceae
Habit:
Large tree
Other details:
Monotypic genus with single species Schleichera oleosa; large deciduous tree; characteristics bright red colored new leaves arise in march; flowers tiny in dense cluster. Tree hosts Kusumi Lac (Kerria lacca), a native lac insect to Indian subcontinent.
Cheilanthes sp.
Name:
Cheilanthes sp.
Date of photography:
02-03-2021; 16:30
Latitude:
22° 27' 43.21" N
Longitude:
78° 23' 47.27" E
Altitude:
990.4 m
Locality:
Reechgarh
Common name:
Lip fern
Family:
Pteridaceae
Habit:
Rock-dwelling fern
Other details:
Growing as desert fern, curling up during dry seasons, reviving on getting moisture. Dry plant leaves silvery imprint on black paper or cloth.
Shorea robusta
Name:
Shorea robusta
Date of photography:
03-03-2021; 12:03
Latitude:
22° 26' 24.30" N
Longitude:
78° 25' 31.29" E
Altitude:
1036.5 m
Locality:
Priyadarshani Eco Point
Common name:
Sal, Sakhu
Family:
Dipterocarpaceae
Habit:
Tree
Other details:
Native to Indian-subcontinent; slow growing tree, grow up to 35 m tall; leaves ovate oblong, evergreen in wet areas, deciduous in dry areas; flowering in early summer, white in color; wood resinous and durable, can lasts up to 100 year.
Vanda tessellata
Name:
Vanda tessellata
Date of photography:
02-03-2021; 16:09
Latitude:
22° 27' 48.43" N
Longitude:
78° 23' 37.95" E
Altitude:
1008.5 m
Locality:
Reechgarh
Common name:
Grey orchid
Family:
Orchidaceae
Habit:
Epiphytic perennial
Other details:
Medium to large sized epiphytic orchid, climbing stem; aerial roots; leaves succulent, 15–20 cm long, three-toothed at tip; Flowers in 5-12 flowered racemes. Highly medicinal.
Dendrobium herbaceum
Name:
Dendrobium herbaceum
Date of photography:
03-03-2021; 12:44
Latitude:
22° 27' 1.60" N
Longitude:
78° 25' 20.80" E
Altitude:
1060.7 m
Locality:
Eco point
Common name:
Grassy Dendrobium
Family:
Orchidaceae
Habit:
Epiphytic perennial
Other details:
Epiphytic perennial orchid; stem 30-40 cm long, branched; leaves 3-8 cm long, narrowly linear, leafless when flowering; flowers white, in cluster of 4-6.
Crustose lichen
Name:
Crustose lichen, species identification
Date of photography:
03-03-2021; 11:26
Latitude:
22° 27' 31.13" N
Longitude:
78° 25' 57.24" E
Altitude:
1025.6 m
Locality:
Pandav caves
Common name:
Crustose lichen
Family:
Identification
Habit:
Saxicolous
Other details:
Crustose lichen, growing on rocky surface (=saxicolous).
Foliose lichen
Name:
Foliose lichen, species identification
Date of photography:
02-03-2021; 11:25
Latitude:
22° 27' 10.40" N
Longitude:
78° 26' 50.68" E
Altitude:
889.0 m
Locality:
Priyadarshani
Common name:
Foliose lichen
Family:
Identification
Habit:
Leafy corticolous
Other details:
Foliose lichen, leafy, growing on sal tree (corticolous).
First published on 03-05-2021 Last updated on 07-05-2021
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