Endangered Plants
Acacia planifrons
The umbrella thorn,[2] (Acacia planifrons), is a species of Acacia of the family Fabaceae. It is native to India and Sri
Lanka. It is about 7m high thorny shrub.[3] Greyish-brown bark is thick with horizontal markings. Leaves are bipinnate,
alternate; apex obtuse; margin entire. Flowers are white in color. Fruit is a pod.[
Amentotaxus assamica
Amentotaxus assamica is a species of conifer in the Taxaceae family. It is found only in India. It is threatened
by habitat loss.
Known from two to three locations in Arunachal Pradesh in India: Turoo Hills (Das et al., 2008) the Delei valley and a
valley in the Dafla Hills (Gajurel et al., 2006). Its presence in adjoining areas of China have not been confirmed.
Known subpopulations are small and localised. Declines have been observed in one location.
Diospyros celebica
Diospyros celebica (commonly known as black ebony[2] or Makassar ebony) is a species of flowering tree in the
family Ebenaceae that is endemic to the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. The common name Makassar ebony is for
the main seaport on the island, Makassar.
Makassar ebony wood is variegated, streaky brown and black, and nearly always wide-striped. It is considered a
highly valuable wood for turnery, fine cabinet work, and joinery, and is much sought for posts (床柱 (tokobashira)[3]) in
traditional Japanese houses. Japan used to be the main importer of this wood. It is also used as a wood
in fingerboards for guitars and other related instruments.
The tree grows up to 20 m (66 ft) high under favourable circumstances, although such trees are rarely seen
nowadays. Since Makassar ebony has been a woodworkers' favourite for centuries, most of it has been felled and
used in high-quality furniture. The wood is often defective, showing cracks, and in particular heart shakes and splits. It
is not easy to dry and is best given ample time for this. Converting logs into boards as soon as possible is
recommended.
Milkworts/ Polygala
Polygala is a large genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Polygalaceae. They are commonly known
as milkworts or snakeroots. The genus is distributed widely throughout much of the world[1] in temperate zones and
the tropics.[2] The genus name Polygala comes from the ancient Greek "much milk", as the plant was thought to
increase milk yields in cattle. Polygala includes annual and perennial plants, shrubs, vines, and trees.[1] The roots often
have a scent reminiscent of wintergreen.[2] The leaf blades are generally undivided and smooth-edged, and are
alternately arranged in most species. The inflorescence is a raceme or spikelike array of several flowers; the
occasional species bears solitary flowers.[2] The flower is bilateral in shape, with two large petal-like sepals on the
sides, often called the "wings",[2] and three smaller sepals behind. There are three petals in shades of reddish purple,
yellow or white, which are joined at the bases. The lower of the three is the keel petal, which is "boat-
shaped, cucullate [hood-like], or helmet-shaped".[1] The keel petal may have a beak or a fringe on the
tip.[2] Stamens and style are within the curve of the keel petal. The fruit is a capsule, sometimes winged. It contains two
seeds,[1] which are usually black, hairy and tipped with a large white aril.[2] One polygala is the Fringed Polygala, found
in coniferous forests.
Whisk fern/Psilotum
Psilotum is a genus of fern-like vascular plants, commonly known as whisk ferns. It is one of two genera in
the family Psilotaceae, the other being Tmesipteris. Plants in these two genera were once thought to be descended
from the earliest surviving vascular plants, but more recent phylogenies place them as basal ferns, as a sister group
to Ophioglossales. They lack true roots and leaves, the stems being the organs containing conducting tissue. There
are only two species in Psilotum and a hybrid between the two. They differ from those in Tmesipteris in having stems
with many branches and a synangium with three lobes rather than two. Whisk ferns in the genus Psilotum lack true
roots but are anchored by creeping rhizomes. The stems have many branches with paired enations, which look like
small leaves but have no vascular tissue. Above these enations there are synangia formed by the fusion of
three sporangia and which produce the spores. When mature, the synangia release yellow to whitish spores which
develop into a gametophyteless than 2 mm (0.08 in) long. The gametophyte lives underground as a saprophyte,
sometimes in a mycorrhizal association.
Endangered Animals
Bengal tiger
The Bengal tiger is a Panthera tigris tigris population in the Indian subcontinent.[3] It is listed as Endangered on
the IUCN Red List since 2008, and was estimated at comprising fewer than 2,500 individuals by 2011. It is threatened
by poaching, loss, and fragmentation of habitat. None of the Tiger Conservation Landscapes within its range is
considered large enough to support an effective population of more than 250 adult individuals. [1] India's tiger
population was estimated at 1,706–1,909 individuals in 2010.[4] By 2014, the population had reputedly increased to an
estimated 2,226 individuals.[5] Around 440 tigers are estimated in Bangladesh, 163–253 tigers in Nepal and 103 tigers
in Bhutan.[6][7][8][9]
The tiger is estimated to be present in the Indian subcontinent since the Late Pleistocene, for about 12,000 to 16,500
years.[10][11][12]The Bengal tiger ranks among the biggest wild cats alive today.[2][13] It is considered to belong to the
world's charismatic megafauna.[14] It is the national animal of both India and Bangladesh.[15] It is also known as the
Royal Bengal tiger.[16]
Blackbuck
The blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra), also known as the Indian antelope, is an antelope found in India, Nepal,
and Pakistan. The blackbuck is the sole extant member of the genus Antilope. The species was described and given
its binomial name by Swedish zoologist Carl Linnaeusin 1758. Two subspecies are recognized. It stands up to 74 to
84 cm (29 to 33 in) high at the shoulder. Males weigh 20–57 kg (44–126 lb), an average of 38 kilograms (84 lb).
Females are lighter, weighing 20–33 kg (44–73 lb) or 27 kg (60 lb) on average. The long, ringed horns, 35–75 cm (14–
30 in) long, are generally present only on males, though females may develop horns, as well. The white fur on the chin
and around the eyes is in sharp contrast with the black stripes on the face. The coats of males show two-tone
colouration; while the upper parts and outsides of the legs are dark brown to black, the underparts and the insides of
the legs are all white. However, females and juveniles are yellowish fawn to tan.
Indian rhinoceros
The Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis), also called the greater one-horned rhinoceros and great Indian
rhinoceros, is a rhinoceros native to the Indian subcontinent. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, as
populations are fragmented and restricted to less than 20,000 km2 (7,700 sq mi). Moreover, the extent and quality of
the rhino's most important habitat, alluvial grassland and riverine forest, is considered to be in decline due to human
and livestock encroachment. As of 2008, a total of 2,575 mature individuals were estimated to live in the wild.[1]
The Indian rhinoceros once ranged throughout the entire stretch of the Indo-Gangetic Plain, but excessive hunting and
agricultural development reduced their range drastically to 11 sites in northern India and southern Nepal. In the early
1990s, between 1,870 and 1,895 rhinos were estimated to have been alive.
Lion-tailed macaque
The lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus), or the wanderoo, is an Old World monkey endemic to the Western
Ghats of South India. The hair of the lion-tailed macaque is black. Its outstanding characteristic is the silver-white
mane which surrounds the head from the cheeks down to its chin, which gives this monkey its German
name Bartaffe - "beard ape". The hairless face is black in colour. With a head-body length of 42 to 61 cm and a weight
of 2 to 10 kg, it ranks among the smaller macaques. The tail is medium in length at about 25 cm, and has a black tuft
at the end that is similar to a lion's tail, although this tuft is more pronounced in males than in females. Gestation is
approximately six months. The young are nursed for one year. Sexual maturity is reached at four years for females,
and six years for males. The life expectancy in the wild is approximately 20 years, while in captivity is up to 30 years.
Nilgiri tahr
The Nilgiri tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius) known locally as the Nilgiri ibex or simply ibex, is an ungulate that
is endemic to the Nilgiri Hills and the southern portion of the Western Ghats in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in
Southern India. It is the state animal of Tamil Nadu.[2]Despite its local name, it is more closely related to the sheep of
the genus Ovis than the ibex and wild goats of the genus Capra.
The Nilgiri tahr is a stocky goat with short, coarse fur and a bristly mane. Males are larger than females and of darker
colour when mature. Both sexes have curved horns, reaching up to 40 centimetres (16 in) for males and 30
centimetres (12 in) for females. Adult males weigh 80 to 100 kilograms (180 to 220 lb) and stand about 100
centimetres (39 in) tall at the shoulder. Adult males develop a light grey area on their backs and are thus called
"saddlebacks"
