VEGETATION OF INDIA
Distribution of natural vegetation in India is controlled and regulated by the following factors:
1. Distribution of rainfall
2. Orography (altitude and slope of the region)
Based on these factors, the natural vegetation of India is broadly classified into the following
categories:
1. Tropical Evergreen and Semi-Evergreen Forests
2. Tropical Deciduous Forests
3. Tropical Thorn Forests and Scrubs
4. Montane Forests
5. Mangrove Forests
Tropical Evergreen and Semi-Evergreen Forests
● Constitute those parts of India which have an annual rainfall of 200 cm and above.
● The rainfall here occurs almost throughout the year with a short dry season.
● Wet and warm climate support luxuriant vegetation of all kinds- trees, shrubs and creepers
giving it a multi-layered structure.
● Trees do not shed leaves for a definite time period. So, the forests appear green all-round
the year.
● Some of the commercially available trees are Sandal Wood, ebony, mahogany, rosewood,
rubber, cinchona etc.
● Important animals in these forests are elephants, monkey lemur, deer, one-horned
rhinoceros etc.
● Western coast; Western Ghats; island groups of Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar; upper
parts of Assam; and Tamil Nadu coast are covered with these forests.
● These are similar to Equatorial rainforests.
Tropical Deciduous Forests
● These are the most widespread and the most extensive forests of India.
● They are also known as monsoon forests.
● These are connected with those parts of India which receive annual rainfall between 200
cm and 70 cm.
● Here rainfall is seasonal in nature.
● In this forest type, trees shed their leaves for about six to eight weeks in dry summer.
● The animals found in these are lion, tiger, pig, deer, elephant, a variety of birds, lizards,
snakes, tortoise, etc.
Tropical Moist Deciduous Forests
● Annual rainfall between 200 & 100 cm.
● Found in: (a) an eastern part of India- north eastern states, along with the foothills of
Himalayas, (b) Jharkhand, West Orissa and Chhattisgarh, (c) on the eastern slopes of the
Western Ghats.
● Examples: teak, bamboos, sal, shisham, sandalwood, Khair, Kusum, Arjun, mulberry, etc.
Tropical Dry Deciduous Forests
● Annual rainfall between 100 & 70 cm.
● Found in: (a) the rainier parts of the peninsular plateau and (b) the plains of Uttar Pradesh
and Bihar.
● Examples: teak, sal, peepal, neem etc.
Tropical Thorn Forests
● These are connected with those parts which receive rainfall less than 70 cm.
● Here, rainfall is erratic, irregular and inconsistent.
● Xerophytes dominate regions covered with the tropical thorn.
● Found in the north-western part including semi-arid areas of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya
Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
● Main plant species here are acacias (babool), palms, euphorbias, Cactus, Khair, keekar etc.
● In this vegetation type, stem, leaves and roots of plants are adapted to conserve water.
● The stem is succulent, and leaves are mostly thick and small to minimize evaporation.
● Common animals here are rats, mice, rabbits, fox, wolf, tiger, lion, wild ass, horses, camels,
etc.
Tropical Montane Forests
● The decrease in temperature with the rise in altitude is responsible for the corresponding
change in natural vegetation.
● There exists the same hierarchy from foothills of the mountain to the top of it as is observed
from tropical to tundra region.
● Mostly found in the southern slopes of Himalayas, places having high altitude in Southern
and North eastern India.
● Upto 1500 m of height, tropical moist deciduous forests exist with Sheesham as the main
tree.
● Between 1000-2000m of height, wet temperate type of climate persists wherein evergreen
broad-leaf trees like oaks and chestnut
● Between 1500-3000 m of height, temperate forests are covering coniferous trees like Chir,
pine, deodar, silver fir, spruce, cedar, etc.
● At higher altitudes above 3500m wet temperate grasslands are common like Merg
(Kashmir), bugyals (Uttarakhand), etc.
● They get progressively stunted as they approach the snowline.
● Ultimately though shrubs and scrubs, they merge into Alpine grasslands.
● These grasslands are extensively used for grazing by nomadic tribes like Gujjars and
Bakkarwals.
● At higher altitudes, some vegetation mosses and lichens form part of tundra vegetation.
● Common animals that are found in these forests are Kashmir stag, spotted deer, wild sheep,
jackals, yak, snow leopard, rare red panda, sheep and goats with thick fur, etc.
● In India, there are studied under two groups: Northern Montane Forests and Southern
Montane Forests.
o Northern Montane Forests: These are connected with Himalayan Mountain ranges.
Vegetation types are controlled by sunlight, temperature and rainfall, which is
described above.
o Southern Montane Forests: These are connected with hills of Nilgiris, Anaimalai and
Cardamom. These are wet temperate forests which have great endemic biodiversity,
and these are described as Shola forests.
Mangrove Forests
● Mangrove forests are connected with deltaic regions of tropical and sub-tropical zones.
● These are also known as tidal forests, and littoral forests as these are connected with the
inter-tidal region.
● Their biodiversity and forest density are comparable with equatorial rainforest and tropical
evergreen and semi-evergreen forests.
● Mangroves are salt-tolerant plants with roots being adapted to become pneumatophores
(these roots emerged from the ground and grow in the upward direction).
● Mangrove ecosystem is a unique ecosystem as it has tolerance for periodic flooding and
dryness, and mild salinity as well.
● India has the largest cover of Mangrove Forest in the world.
● Sunderban, Mahanadi, Godavari-Krishna and Kaveri delta are most importantly covered with
these forests.
● Sunderban is the largest mangrove in the world. It is famous for Sundari tree which provides
durable hard timber.
● Some other examples are Rhizophora, Avicennia etc.
● Palm, coconut, keora, agar, etc. also grow in some parts of the delta.
● Royal Bengal Tiger is a famous animal in these forests.
● Turtles, crocodiles, gharials, snakes, are also found in these forests.
● Bhitarkanika mangrove of Mahanadi delta is also famous for its rich biodiversity.
