Classification of vegetation of India and Rajasthan
Classification of vegetation of India:- There are 5 major kinds of Natural vegetation in India, that are listed as:
1. Tropical Evergreen Forests
2. Tropical Deciduous Forests
3. Tropical Thorn Forests and Scrubs
4. Montane Forests
5. Mangrove Forests
1. Tropical Evergreen Forests:- Forests are grown in heavy rainfall areas where the annual rainfall is over 200 cm with a short dry season. These are also known as Tropical Rainforests. These forests are found in the Western Ghats and on the island groups of Lakshadweep, Andaman, and Nicobar, upper parts of Assam and Tamil Nadu coast.
2. Tropical Deciduous Forests:- Tropical Deciduous Forests are one of the most widespread forests of India. These forests are found over the region where the annual rainfall is between 200 cm and 70cm. Trees of These forests types shed their leaves for about six to eight weeks in dry summer. These forests are also known as Monsoon Forests.
3. Tropical Thorn Forests and Scrubs:- These specific tree species provide insight into natural vegetation as well as the environments in which they flourish. It is obvious that these areas receive just 70 cm of yearly rainfall. This is why these plantations have begun to produce thorns in order to conserve water in this arid climate. In nature, the trees are often bushy and thorny. India’s dry environment and natural vegetation reflect the characteristics of these plants. These plants may be found in Rajasthan and Gujarat’s higher reaches, where the environment is arid. The main plant species are Acacias, Palms, Euphorbias, and cacti.
4. Montane Forests:- Montane Forests are the forest that is usually found in a mountainous region where the decrease in temperature with increase in altitude leads to the corresponding change in the natural vegetation. This is a unique sort of vegetation in India, where the species develop larger leaves and are found at elevations of 1000-3000 meters above sea level. Some of the mountainous areas are Jammu Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh. Chestnuts, oaks, and other broad-leaved evergreen trees may be found here.
5. Mangrove Forests:- Mangrove Forests are the forests that are found in the coastal areas influenced by tides, because of this, they are also known as Tidal Forests. The Ganga, Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, and Kaveri deltas, for example, develop along the shore and on the edges of deltas. These woodlands are known as ‘Sundarbans’ in West Bengal. The trees include the hogla, garan, gewa, golpata, and pasur, among others. The most common varieties in these forests are Dense Mangroves and their roots are submerged underwater.
Classification of vegetation of Rajasthan:- The floral wealth of Rajasthan is rich and varied. The western half is desert terrain, most of the area under forests is restricted to eastern and southern parts of the state. The forests are unevenly distributed in the various districts Most of the forests are over the hilly areas i.e. in Udaipur, Rajasamand, Kota, Baran Sawai Madhopur, Chittorgarh, Sirohi, Bundi, Alwar, Jhalawar and Banswara districts, which make up for about 50 per cent of the forests of the state. Dense natural forests are in protected patches, mostly confined to various national parks and wild-life sanctuaries. Most of the remaining forests of state are in various stages of plant growth.
The forests of state can be divided into four broad forest types:
1. Tropical Thorn Forests
2. Tropical Dry Deciduous Forests
3. Sub-tropical hill forests
4. Mixed Miscellaneous Forests
1. Tropical Thorn Forests:- Tropical thorn forests are found in arid and semi-arid regions of western Rajasthan. These extend from western Indo -Park border and gradually merge with the dry deciduous mixed forests of the Aravalli hills and the south-eastern plateau. The main species found in this kind of forests are Acacia nilotica , Acacia leucophloea, Prosopis cineraria, Capparis aphylla, Zizyphus spp., Flacourtia spp. etc. These forests are basically found in western part of Rajasthan namely Jodhpur, Pali, Jalore, Barmer, Nagaur, Churu, Bikaner etc.
2. Tropical Dry Deciduous Forests:- These forests are mostly found in small patches in few parts of the state. the northern and eastern slopes of aravalli ranges, mostly in Alwar, Bharatpur and Dholpur districts, are covered with this type of forests. Sporadic growth of certain species of dry deciduous forests is found along the dry river beds of Jalore, Nagaur, Ganaganagar and Bikaner, districts.The main species found in this kind of forests are Anogeissus pendula, Anogeissus latifolia, Acacia catechu, Terminalia tomentosa, Terminalia balerica, Terminalia arjuna, Boswellia serrata, Dendrocalamus strictus, Lanea grandis.
3. Sub-tropical Hill Forests:- These forests which are most abundant in central India, as in Madhya Pradesh, parts of Gujarat and Maharashtra, are found in Sirohi district of Rajasthan also, mostly on the hills girding Mt. Abu. These forests have semi-evergreen and some evergreen species of trees. The vegetation of Mt. Abu consists of many plants which are similar to the sub - tropical region of Himalayas. Around Mt. Abu, they are well represented between 700 to 800 m altitudes.
4. Mixed Miscellaneous Forests:- These forests are mostely found in south easten and easten part of Rajasthan comprising Chittorgarh, Kota, Udaipur, Sirohi, Banswara, Dungarpur, Baran and Jhalawar distrists. These Forests mainly have Anogeissus pendula, Anogeissus latifolia, Terminalia tomentosa, Terminalia arjuna, Terminalia chebula, Albizia lebbeck, Dalbergia paniculata etc. and its associates.
According to the vegetation, forest can be divided in 9 sub types:
1. Anogeissus pendula (dhol) forests:-
> It covers 60%(26,418sq.km) of the forest area.
> Anogeissus pendula is a tree of dry hot regions. The average height of the tree is between 6m to 7.5m
but where the soil is deep and water supply is good, the height of 14 m is not uncommon.
> Species:- Acacia Milotica (Babul), etc
> These provide good firewood and make excellent charcoal.
2. Acacia Catechu (kattha) forest:-
> It covers 3% of the forest area.
> These forest occurs mostly in pure patches and sometimes mixed with other species.
> It found in the south east region of the state.
3. Boswellia serrata (salar) forest:-
> It is found in the upper ridges of the Aravalli hills and covers about 5% of the total forest area.
> Mostly in the region of Alwar, part of chittorgarh, Udaipur, Sirohi, Ajmer, Jodhpur, Rajsamand and
Jaipur.
4. Butea Monosperma (Dhak) forests:-
> It cover very small area.
> The species are characterised of badly drained clay soils and occupies the foot hills and depression.
5. Dendrocalamus stricus forests:-
> Bamboo covers about 2.5% the area mostly in parts of chittorgarh, Udaipur, Kota and Abu hills.
> It occurs in pure patches in depressions.
6. Tectona grandis (teak) forest:-
> Teak forest of the dry type occupy over 2635 hectares and represent the northern limit of teak in India
> Common associates of teak are Anogeissus latefolia, Eagle marmeios(Bel) etc.
> These forest provide some timber for furniture, panels for doors, windows and house construction and pole for fencing and roofing.
7. Mixed miscellaneous forests:-
> These forests found in the south-eastern Rajasthan in the districts of Bundi, Udaipur, Sirohi, Kota and
Chittorgarh.
> Average rainfall is more than 60cm.
> The dominant species: Anogeissus latefolia, Diospyros melanoxylon, Madhuca indica, etc
> The woods from these forest is small timber, fuel and charcoal.
8. Sub-tropical evergreen forests:-
> These occurs at 30sq.km round Mt.Abu at elevation of 1000 to 1300 metres where, the rainfall is
1500mm.
> On the higher elevations it has humid types of forests containing Ambartari, Karonda, varieties of
Jasmine, weeping willow and kara, on the lower slope dense forest of Dhau, Haldu, Bel, Siris, Mango,
Jamun, Kachnar, Times, Rohira are common.
> The area under these forests is small and hence they do not any commercial significance.
9. Thron forests:-
> They found mainly in the arid area of north west covering the districts of Nagaur, Pali, Sikar,
Jhunjhunu, Ajmer, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer.
> The timber of prosopis is the useful tree species of the tract. It is used as fuel and produced good
charcoal.