Flora of pachmarhi

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 Biosphere Reserve

Pachmarhi is one of the three wildlife conservation units of Satpura hill range. Bori sanctuary and Satpura National Park are other two. Pachmarhi forest area was recognized as biosphere reserve in 2009 by UNESCO.

Location

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

1. 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.



2. 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.



3. 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.



4. 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.



5. 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.



6. 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.



7. 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.



8. 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.



9. 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.



10. 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.



11. 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).



12. 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).

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First published on 03-05-2021
Last updated on 07-05-2021

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