COIMBATORE: Academics often complain that there are hardly any authoritative texts on our native wealth especially with regard to our plant species. In a bid to overcome this limitation a few researchers have jointly come up with a book which documents the flowering plants in the Sholas and grasslands. The book 'Flowering Plants of Sholas and Grasslands of the Nilgiris' was released recently by three researchers from the city based Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (IFGTB) along with another botany researcher from Kerala.
"We have documented characteristics of 641 plants with their photos. This could be used for reference by foresters, researchers and students," said N Krishna Kumar, Director IFGTB who led the project. S P Subramani and R Aanandalakshmi 2 other researchers from the institute and P S Udayan, a botany lecturer from Sree Krishna College, Guruvayur, Kerala have contributed to this text. He said that the Shola forest, spread across Nilgiris, Kodaikanal and parts of Kerala, is around 2,000 metres from sea level. Shola forests are unique to the region with soft soil which retains water and a cool climate, housing its own set of plant species. The researchers note that due to climate change and human factors, plants which were not seen here are suddenly thriving in the region while some that are specific to the area are spreading to outside areas.
They went through documents and collections of all plants recorded by various researchers and put them together. The book contains plant features including its characteristics and its various uses. The name of each plant is given in Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada and English. "Even foresters are unable to recognise several plants and those who know them, recognise them only in the native language," said P S Udayan.
Around 256 species have medicinal uses including modern medicine, Ayurveda, folk, homeopathy, siddha, Tibetan and Unani. The book includes several interesting facts like that of the Rhododendron Arboreum, a red flower which is an ever green shrub seen in many hilly areas. A sub-species of this existed in the Sholas which served as a kind of protection against fires. Once these plants began disappearing from the region, forest fires became more frequent, said Krishna Kumar.
Krishna Kumar, an officer with the Indian Forest Service (IFS) had started collecting data from 1992. He said that the Shola forests are facing problems especially human interventions. However, more research needs to be done before coming into any conclusions.
