SHANKAR IAS ACADEMY ENVIRONMENT

CHAPTER - 13

PLANT DIVERSITY OF INDIA

13.1. PLANT CLASSIFICATION 13.2. E FFECT OF ABIOTIC COMPONENTS
1. Herb is defined as a plant whose stem is always green ON PLANTS
and tender with height of not more than 1 meter. 13.2.1. Intensity of light on growth of plants
2. Shrub is defined as a woody perennial plant differing
from a perennial herb in its persistent and woody
• Extremely high intensity favours root growth than
shoot growth which results in increased transpiration,
stem. It differs from a tree in its low stature and its
habit of branching from the base. Not more than 6 short stem, smaller thicker leaves. On the other hand
meters in height. low intensity of light retards growth, flowering and
fruiting.
3. Tree is defined as a large woody perennial plant having
a single well defined stem with more or less definite • When the Intensity of light is less than the minimum,
crown. the plants ceases to grow due to accumulation of CO2
4. Parasites - An organism that draws a part or whole of and finally dies.
its nourishment from another living organism. These • Out of 7 colours in the visible part of spectrum, only red
plants do not draw moisture and mineral nutrients and blue are effective in photosynthesis.
from the soil. They grow on some living plant called
host and penetrate their sucking roots, called hausto- • Plant grown in blue light are small, red light results in
elongation of cells results in etiolated plants. Plants
ria, into the host plants.
grown in ultraviolet and violet light are dwarf.
• Total parasite - draws whole of its nourishment
• Partial parasite - draws a part of its nourishment 13.2.2. Effect of frost on plants
5 Epiphytes - plant growing on the host plant but not
nourished by the host plant. They do not draw food • Killing of young plants - Even a light radiation frost
from the host plant. They only take the help of the host chills the soil resulting in freezing the soil moisture. The
plant in getting access to light. Their roots perform plants growing in such soil, get exposed to direct sun
two functions. While changing roots establish the light in the morning, they are killed due to increased
plant on the branches of the host plant, aerial roots transpiration when their roots are unable to supply
draw moisture from the air. Eg. Vanda moisture. This is the main reason for innumerable death
6. Climbers - herbaceous or woody plant that climbs up of sal seedlings.
trees or other support by twining round them or by • Death of plants due to damage to cells - As a result of
holding on to them by trendrills, hooks, aerial roots or frost, water in the intercellular spaces of the plant gets
other attachments. frozen into ice which withdraws water from the inte-
rior of the cells. This results in increasing concentra-
Do you know? tion of salts and dehydration of cells. Thus coagulation
Bats are MAMMALS. They are warm blooded, nurse and precipitation of the cell colloid results in death of
their babies with milk and have fur. Bats are only plant.
mammals that can fly (without an airplane!) • Leads to Formation of canker.

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Do you know? Do you know?

The male frog will hug the female from behind and Elephants have remarkable memories. In the wild, they
as she lays eggs, usually in the water, the male will appear to remember for years the relationships with
fertilize them. After that the eggs are on their own, dozens, perhaps hundreds of other elephants, some of
to survive and become tadpoles. There are a few spe- whom they may see only occasionally. They also have
cies of frogs that will look after their babies, but not an impressive memory for places to drink and to find
many. food. This information gets passed on from generation
to generation.
Males elephants do not maintain long-term social
13.2.3. Effects of Snow on plants bonds, remaining in the unit only into their teens.
They then live out their lives in loose bachelor groups
• Snow influences the distribution of deodar, fir and
or wandering on their own.
spruce.
• Snow acts as blanket, prevents further drop in tem-
perature and protects seedlings from excessive cold and 13.3. INSECTIVOROUS PLANTS
frost. These plants are specialised in trapping insects and are
• It results in mechanical bending of tree stem. popularly known as insectivorous plants.
• Shortens the period of vegetative growth also uproots They are very different from normal plants in their mode
the trees. of nutrition. They, however, never prey upon humans or
large animals as often depicted in fiction.
13.2.4. Effect of temperature on plants Insectivorous plants can broadly be divided into active
• Excessive high temperature results in death of plant due and passive types based on their method of trapping their
to coagulation of protoplasmic proteins. It disturbs the prey.
balance between respiration and photo synthesis • The active ones can close their leaf traps the moment
thereby causes depletion of food resulting in greater insects land on them.
susceptibility to fungal and bacterial attack. • The passive plants have a ‘pitfall’ mechanism, having
• It also results in desiccation of plant tissues and deple- some kind of jar or pitcher-like structure into which the
tion of moisture. insect slips and falls, to eventually be digested.
The insectivorous plants often have several attractions
13.2.5. Die back such as brilliant colours, sweet secretions and other curios
Refers the progressive dying usually backwards from the to lure their innocent victims.
tip of any portion of plant. This is one of the adaptive Why do they hunt despite having normal roots and
mechanisms to avoid adverse conditions. In this mecha- photosynthetic leaves?
nism, the root remains alive for years together but the
These plants are usually associated with rain-washed,
shoots dies. Eg. Sal, Red sanders, Terminalia tomentosa,
nutrient-poor soils, or wet and acidic areas that are ill-
Silk cotton tree, Boswellia serrata.
drained. Such wetlands are acidic due to anaerobic condi-
Causes for die back tions, which cause partial decomposition of organic matter
1. Dense over head canopy and inadequate light releasing acidic compounds into the surroundings. As a
result, most microorganisms necessary for complete de-
2. Dense week growth composition of organic matter cannot survive in such
3. Un-decomposed leaf litter on surface poorly oxygenated conditions.
4. Frost Normal plants find it difficult to survive in such nutrient
5. Drip poor habitats. The hunter plants are successful in such
places because they supplement their photosynthetic food
6. Drought
production by trapping insects and digesting their nitrogen
7. Grazing rich bodies.

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 SHANKAR IAS ACADEMY ENVIRONMENT
13.3.1. The Indian Hunters 5. Pinguicula or Butterwort: It grows in the alpine
Insectivorous plants of India heights of Himalayas, from Kashmir to Sikkim, along
1. Drosera or Sundew inhabiting wet infertile soils or stream-sides in cool boggy places.
marshy places • Insect trapping mechanism: In Pinguicula, an entire leaf
works as trap. When an insect lands on the leaf surface,
• Insect trapping mechanism: The tentacles on the leaves
secrete a sticky fluid that shines in the sun like dew- it gets stuck in the sticky exudate.the leaf margins roll
drops. Therefore the Drosera. are commonly known as up thus trapping the victim.
‘sundews’. When an insect lured by these glistening Medicinal properties
drops alights on the leaf surface it gets stuck in this fluid
and are absorbed and digested. Drosera are capable of curdling milk, its bruised leaves are
applied on blisters, used for dyeing silk.
2. Aldrovanda is a freefloating, rootless aquatic plant, the
only species found in India, occurs in the salt marshes Nepenthes in local medicine to treat cholera patients, the
of Sunderbans, south of Calcutta. It also grows in fresh liquid inside the pitcher is useful for urinary troubles, it is
water bodies like ponds, tanks and lakes. also used as eye drops.
• Insect trapping mechanism: On the leaf midrib are Utricularia is useful against cough, for dressing of wounds,
found some sensitive trigger hairs. The two halves of as a remedy for urinary disease.
the leaf blade of Aldrovanda close along the midrib the
moment an insect comes into contact with the leaf, trap- 13.3.2. Threat
ping the victim inside.
• Gardening trading for medicinal properties is one of the
3. Nepenthes: The members of the family are com- main causes for their decline.
monly known as ‘pitcher plants’ because their
leaves bear jar-like structures. • Habitat destruction is also rampant, the wetlands har-
bouring such plants being the main casualties during
• Distribution - It is confined to the high rainfall hills and
the expansion of urban and rural habitation.
plateaus of north-eastern region, at altitudes ranging
from 100 – 1500 m, particularly in Garo, Khasi and • Pollution caused by effluents containing detergents, fer-
Jaintia hills of Meghalaya. tilizers, pesticides, sewage etc into the wetlands is yet
another major cause for their decline (Since insectivo-
• Insect trapping mechanism: Nepenthes conforms to the
pitfall type of trap. A honey like substance is secreted rous plants do not tolerate high nutrient levels)
from glands at the entrance of the pitcher. Once the • Moreover, polluted water bodies are dominated by pro-
insect enters into the pitcher, it falls down because of lific water weeds which cause elimination of the delicate
the slipperiness. insectivorous plants.
• The inner wall, towards its lower half, bears numerous
glands, which secrete a proteolytic enzyme. This en-
zyme digests the body of the trapped insects and nutri-
ents are absorbed. Do you know?
4. Utricularia or Bladderworts: The Bladderworts gen- Tiger, delineates its own territory by urinating on the
erally inhabit freshwater wetlands and waterlogged trees and rocks along the boundary and lives within
areas. Some species are associated with moist moss that. Trespass by another male usually ends up in
covered rock surfaces, and damp soils during rains. conflict which turns into a bloody battle sometimes.
• Insect trapping: Utricularia in its bladders mouth, has The tigresses in a family may have overlapping terri-
sensitive bristles or hairs. When an insect happens to tories within the male’s territory.
contact these hairs the door opens, carrying the insect Even though tiger is a powerful predator with plenty
into the bladder along with a little current of water. The of tactics, it is observed that only one in twenty at-
door is shut when water fills the bladder, The enzymes tempts of hunting is really successful.
produced by the inner wall of the bladder digest the
insect.

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 SHANKAR IAS ACADEMY ENVIRONMENT
13.4. INVASIVE ALIEN SPECIES 13.4.3. Some Invasive fauna in India are:
Purposely or accidentally, people often bring non-native
species into new areas where the species have few or no 1. A new invasive gall forming insect of Eucalyptus
natural predators to keep their populations in check. in Southern India.
Aliens are species that occur outside their natural range. • Leptocybe invasa - a new insect pest detected
from few pockets of coastal Tamil Nadu and it
Alien species that threaten native plants and animals or
has spread to peninsular India.
other aspects of biodiversity are called alien invasive spe-
cies. They occur in all groups of plants and animals, as • It is a tiny wasp that forms leaf and stem galls
in Eucalyptus.
competitors, predators, pathogens and parasites, and they
have invaded almost every type of native ecosystem, 2. Crazy ant
3. Giant African snail
Biological invasion by alien species is recognised as one
of the major threats to native species and ecosystems. 4. Myna
The effects on biodiversity are enormous and often ir- 5. Gold Fish
reversible. 6. Pigeon
7. Donkey
13.4.1. Invasion and Species Richness? 8. House Gecko
The invasions potentially lead to an increase in species 9. Tilapia
richness, as invasive species are added to the existing spe-
cies pool. But it also leads to extinction of native species,
resulting in decrease of species richness. The negative in- 13.5. S OME INVASIVE ALIEN FLOR A
teractions are primarily the competition with natives for OF INDIA
food and sustenance, which may not allow coexistence and 13.5.1. Needle Bush
also by predation. • Nativity: Trop. South America

13.4.2. Effects
• Distribution in India: Throughout
• Remarks: Occasional in thorny scrub and dry degraded
• Loss of Biodiversity forests and often creates close thickets.
• Decline of Native Species (Endemics).
13.5.2. Black Wattle
• Habitat Loss
• Nativity: South East Australia
• Introduced pathogens reduce crop and stock yields
• Distribution in India: Western Ghats
• Degradation of marine and freshwater ecosystems
• Remarks: Introduced for afforestation in Western Ghats.
This biological invasion constitutes the greatest threat to Regenerates rapidly after fire and forms dense thickets.
biodiversity, and it has already had devastating conse- It is distributed in forests and grazing lands in high
quences for the planet and challenges for the conservation altitude areas.
managers.
13.5.3. Goat weed
• Nativity: Trop. America
Are black rhinos really black? • Distribution in India: Throughout
No, black rhinos are not black at all. The species prob- • Remarks: Aggressive colonizer. Troublesome weed in
ably derives its name as a distinction from the white gardens, cultivated fields and forests.
rhino (which is not white at all either) or from the
13.5.4. Alternanthera paronychioides
dark-colored local soil that often covers its skin after
wallowing in mud. • Nativity: Trop. America
• Distribution in India: Throughout

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 SHANKAR IAS ACADEMY ENVIRONMENT
• Remarks: Occasional weed along edges of tanks, ditches
and in marshy lands. Do you know?
Sea cow, Dugong dugon occurs in near shore waters
13.5.5. Prickly Poppy of Gulf of Mannar, Gulf of Kachchh and Andaman and
• Nativity: Trop. Central & South America Nicobar Islands.
• Distribution in India: Throughout
• Remarks: Aggressive colonizer. Common winter season
13.5.13. Ipomoea / the pink morning glory
weed in cultivated fields, scrub lands and fringes of
forests. • Nativity: Trop. America

13.5.6. Blumea eriantha

• Distribution in India: Throughout
• Remarks: Aggressive colonizer. Common weed of
• Nativity: Trop. America marhsy lands and along the edges of tanks and ditches.
• Distribution in India: Throughout
• Remarks: Aggressive colonizer. Abundant along railway 13.5.13. Lantana camara / Lantana, Wild Sage
tracks, road sides and degraded forest lands. • Nativity: Trop. America
13.5.7. Palmyra, Toddy Palm • Distribution in India: Throughout
• Nativity: Trop. Africa • Remarks: Aggressive colonizer. Common weed of for-
ests, plantations, habitation, waste lands and scrub
• Distribution in India: Throughout
lands.
• Remarks: Aggressive colonizer. Cultivated and self
sown, occasionally found to be gregarious near by cul- 13.5.14. Black Mimosa
tivated fields, scrub lands and waste lands.
• Nativity: Trop. North America
13.5.8. Calotropis / Madar, Swallo Wort • Distribution in India: Himalaya, Western Ghats
• Nativity: Trop. Africa • Remarks: Aggressive colonizer. It invades water courses
• Distribution in India: Throughout and seasonally flooded wetlands.
• Remarks: Aggressive colonizer. Common in cultivated
13.5.15. Touch-Me-Not, Sleeping Grass
fields, scrub lands and waste lands.
• Nativity: Brazil
13.5.9. Datura, Mad Plant, Thorn Apple • Distribution in India: Throughout
• Nativity: Trop. America
• Remarks: Aggressive colonizer. Common weed of culti-
• Distribution in India: Throughout vated fields, scrub lands and degraded forests.
• Remarks: Aggressive colonizer. Occasional weed on dis-
turbed ground. 13.5.16. 4 ‘0’ clock plant.
13.5.10. Water Hyacinth
• Nativity: Peru

• Nativity: Trop. America

• Distribution in India: Throughout

• Distribution in India: Throughout

• Remarks: Aggressive colonizer. Runs wild in gardens
and near habitation.
• Remarks: Aggressive colonizer. Abundant in still or slow
floating waters. Nuisance for aquatic ecosystems. 13.5.17. Parthenium / Congress grass,
Parthenium
13.5.11. Impatiens, Balsam
• Nativity: Trop. America • Nativity: Trop. North America

• Distribution in India: Throughout • Distribution in India: Throughout

• Remarks: Aggressive colonizer. Common along streams • Remarks: Aggressive colonizer. Common weed of culti-
vated fields, forests, overgrazed pastures, waste lands
of moist forests and occasionally along railway tracks;
and gardens.
also runs wild in gardens.

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 SHANKAR IAS ACADEMY ENVIRONMENT
13.5.18. Prosopis juliflora / Mesquite 13.6.4. Ladies Slipper Orchid
• Nativity: Mexico • Uses: These types of orchids are mainly used as collec-
• Distribution in India: Throughout tor’s items but lady’s slipper is some times used today
either alone or as a component of formulas intended to
• Remarks: Aggressive colonizer. Common weed of waste
produce treat anxiety / insomnia (scientific evidence is
lands, scrub lands and degraded forests.
not present). This is also sometimes used topically as a
poultice or plaster for relief of muscular pain.
13.5.19. Townsend grass
• Nativity: Trop. W. Asia 13.6.5. Red vanda
• Distribution in India: Throughout • Distribution: Manipur, Assam, Andhrapradesh
• Remarks: Very common along streams and banks of • Uses: As a whole orchids are collected to satisfy an ever
rivers. demanding market of orchid fanciers, especially in Eu-
rope, North America and Asia.
Do you know?
13.6.6. Sarpagandha
Four years after the Maharashtra government
launched a project to monitor and protect wild buf-
• Distribution: Sub Himalayan tract from Punjab east-
wards to Nepal, Sikkim, Assam, Eastern & Western
faloes at the Kolamarka Conservation Reserve at
Ghats, parts of Central India & in the Andamans.
Sironcha in Gadchiroli, the numbers have shown a
gradual rise. Now, the state government is consider- • Uses: Rauvolfia roots are of immense medicinal value
ing a proposal tiger reserve for a higher degree of and has steady demand. It is used for treating various
protection. central nervous system disorders. The pharmacological
activity of rauvolfia is due to the presence of several
alkaloids of which reserpine is the most important,
13.6. MEDICINAL PLANTS which is used for its sedative action in mild anxiety
states and chronic psychoses. It has a depressant action
13.6.1. Beddomes Cycad / Perita / Kondaitha
on central nervous system produces sedation and lower
• Eastern Peninsular India. blood pressure. The root extracts are used for treating
• Uses: The male cones of the plant are used by local intestinal disorders, particularly diarrhoea and dysen-
herbalists as a cure for rheumatoid arthritis and muscle tery and also anthelmintic. It is used for the treatment
pains. Fire resistant property is also there. of cholera, colic and fever. The juice of the leaves are
used as a remedy for opacity of the cornea. The total
13.6.2. Blue vanda / Autumn Ladies Tresses root extracts exhibits a variety of effects, viz., sedation,
Orchid hypertension, brodyeardia, myosis, ptosis, tremors,
• Distribution: Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, which are typical of reserpine.
Meghalaya, Nagaland.
13.6.7. Ceropegia species.
• Vanda is one of the few botanical orchids with blue
flowers a property much appreciated for producing in- • Lantern Flower, Parasol Flower, Parachute Flower,
terspecific and intergeneric hybrids. Bushman’s Pipe.
• Uses: These plants are used as ornamental plants.
13.6.3. Kuth / Kustha / Pooshkarmoola / Uplet
13.6.8. Emodi / Indian Podophyllum
• Distribution: Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh
• Uses: It is used as an anti-inflammatory drug, and a • Himalayan May Apple, India May Apple etc.,
component of the traditional Tibetan medicine. The • Distribution: Lower elevations in and around surround-
roots of the plant are used in perfumery. Dry roots ing the Himalayas.
(Kuth, Costus) are strongly scented and yields an aro- • Uses: Rhizomes and roots constitute the drug. The dried
matic oil, which is also used in making insecticides. The rhizome form the source of medicinal resin. Podophyl-
roots contain an alkaloid, ‘saussurine’, which is me- lin is toxic and strongly irritant to skin and mucous
dicinally important. membranes.

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 SHANKAR IAS ACADEMY ENVIRONMENT
13.6.9. Tree Ferns • In hot and dry climates, deciduous trees usually lose
• Distribution: Lower elevations in and surrounding the their leaves during the dry season.
Himalaya. (ii) Evergreen trees
• Uses: The Soft Tree Fern can be used as a food source, • don’t lose all their leaves at the any time (they always
with the pith of the plant being eaten either cooked or have some foliage).
raw. It is a good source of starch. • They do lose their old leaves a little at a time with new
ones growing in to replace the old. An evergreen tree is
13.6.10. Cycads never completely without leaves.
• A Gymnosperm tree.
• All known as living fossil. Do you know?
• Distribution: Western ghats, Eastern ghats, North East The world’s oldest trees are 4,600 year old Bristlecone
India and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. pines in U.S.A.
• Cycads have been used as a source of starch and also
during socio-cultural rituals.
13.7.2. Parts of a Tree:
• There is some indication that the regular consumption
of starch derived from cycads is a factor in the develop- Roots:
ment of Lytico-Bodig disease, a neurological disease • The roots are the part of the tree that grows under-
with symptoms similar to those of Parkinson’s disease ground.
and ALS. • Besides keeping the tree from tipping over, the main job
• Threats: Over harvesting, Deforestation and forest fire. of the roots is to collect water and nutrients from the
soil and to store them for times when there isn’t as
13.6.11. Elephant’s foot much available.
• Distribution: Throughout the North Western Himalayas.
Crown:
• Uses: Commercial source of Diosgenin (a steroid sapo-
• The crown is made up of the leaves and branches at the
genin, is the product of sapogenin, is the product of
top of a tree.
hydrolysis by acids, strong bases, or enzymes of sapo-
nins, extracted from the tubers of Dioscorea wild yam. • The crown shades the roots, collects energy from the
The sugar-free (aglycone), diosgenin is used for the sun (photosynthesis) and allows the tree to remove
commercial synthesis of cortisone, pregnenolone, pro- extra water to keep it cool (transpiration -- similar to
gesterone, and other steroid products). sweating in animals).
Leaves:
Do you know? • They are the part of the tree that converts energy into
food (sugar).
Sharks give birth to pups in three ways
• Leaves are the food factories of a tree.
I. eggs are laid (like birds)
• They contain a very special substance called chlorophyll.
II. eggs hatch inside the mother and then are born It is chlorophyll that gives leaves their green colour.
III. pups (sharks) grow inside the mother. • Chlorophyll is an extremely important biomolecule,
used in photosynthesis. leaves use the sun’s energy to
convert carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and water
13.7. TREE CHAR ACTERS from the soil into sugar and oxygen.
13.7.1. Types of Trees: • The sugar, which is the tree’s food, is either used or
There are two main types of trees: deciduous and evergreen. stored in the branches, trunk and roots. The oxygen is
(i) Deciduous trees released back into the atmosphere.

• lose all their leaves for part of the year. Branches:

• In cold climates, this happens during the autumn so • The branches provide the support to distribute the leaves
that the trees are bare throughout the winter. efficiently for the type of tree and the environment.

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 SHANKAR IAS ACADEMY ENVIRONMENT
• They also serve as conduits for water and nutrients and • A number of handy things are made from bark includ-
as storage for extra sugar. ing latex, cinnamon and some kinds of poisons. It isn’t
surprising the strong flavours, scents and toxins can
often be found in the bark of different types of trees.
Do you know?
Cambium:
1. Trees are the largest and oldest living organism on
earth:
• The thin layer of living cells just inside the bark is called
cambium.
2. It can take 10 minutes to walk around the crown
of a giant banyan tree in Calcutta.
• It is the part of the tree that makes new cells allowing
the tree to grow wider each year.
3. Trees trap more of the sun’s energy than any other Sapwood (Xylem):
group of organisms on earth
• The scientific name for sapwood is xylem.
4. Trees do not restore and repair wood that is in-
jured and infected, instead they compartmentalize
• It is made up of a network of living cells that bring
water and nutrients up from the roots to the branches,
off the damaged tissue.
twigs and leaves.
• It is the youngest wood of the tree -- over the years, the
Trunk: inner layers of sapwood die and become heartwood.
• The trunk of the tree provides its shape and support Heartwood:
and holds up the crown. • The heartwood is dead sapwood in the center of the
• The trunk transports water and nutrients from the soil trunk.
and sugar from the leaves. • It is the hardest wood of the tree giving it support and
strength.
13.7.3. Parts of the Trunk: • It is usually darker in colour than the sapwood.
Annual rings Pith:
• Inside the trunk of a tree there are a number of growth • Pith is the tiny dark spot of spongy living cells right in
rings. the center of the tree trunk.
• Each year of the tree’s life, a new ring is added so it is • Essential nutrients are carried up through the pith.
referred as the annual rings. • It’s placement right in the center means it is the most
• It is used to calculate Dendro-Chronology (Age of a tree) protected from damage by insects, the wind or animals.
and Paleo-Climatology.
13.7.4. Root types
• The age of a tree can be determined by the number of
• Taproot - Primary descending root formed by the direct
growth rings. The size of the growth ring is determined
prolongation of the radicle of the embryo.
in part by environmental conditions - temperature,
water availability. • Lateral Root - Roots that arise from the tap root and
spread laterally to support the tree.
Bark:
• Adventitious Roots - Roots that are produced from the
• The outside layer of the trunk, branches and twigs of parts of the plant other than the radicle or its subdivi-
trees. sion. The following kinds of Adventitious Roots are
• The bark serves as a protective layer of the tree. commonly found in trees.
• Trees actually have inner bark and outer bark. The • Buttresses - They are out - growths formed usually ver-
inner layer of bark is made up of living cells and the tically above the lateral roots and thus connect the base
outer layer is made of dead cells, sort of like our finger- of the stem with roots. They are formed in the basal
nails. portion of the stem.
• The scientific name for the inner layer of bark is Phloem. • Ex: Silk cotton tree.
The main job of this inner layer is to carry sap full of • Prop - Roots - Adventitious Roots - produced from the
sugar from the leaves to the rest of the tree. branches of the tree which remain suspended in the air

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 SHANKAR IAS ACADEMY ENVIRONMENT
till they reach the ground. On reaching the ground they • Etiolation - With the absence of adequate light, plants
enter into the soil and get fixed. become pale yellow and have long thin internodes.
• Ex: Banyan Tree • Autumn tints - in some trees, leaves undergo a striking
• Stilt - Roots - Adventitious Roots which emerged from change in colour before falling from the tree.
the butt of a tree above ground level. So that the tree • Ex: Mango, Cassia fistula, Quercus incana
appears as if supported on flying buttresses.
• Taper - the decrease in diametre of the stem of a tree
• Ex: Rhizphora species of mangroves. from the base upwards. i.e., the stem is thicker at the
• Pneumatophore: It is a spike like projection of the roots base and thinner in the upper portion of the tree.
of swamp / mangrove tree above the ground. It helps
the submerged roots to obtain oxygen.
• Tapering occurs due to the pressure of the wind which
is centred in the lower one third of the crown and is
• Ex: Heretiera spp, Bruguiera spp. conveyed to the lower parts of the stem, increasing with
• Haustorial roots are the roots of parasitic plants that increasing length. To counteract this pressure, which
can absorb water and nutrients from another plant. may snap the tree at the base, the tree reinforces itself
• Eg: mistletoe (Viscum alubum) and dodder. towards the base.
• Storage roots are modified roots for storage of food or • They are generally associated with the absence of long
water, such as carrots and beets. They include some taproot system due to either shallow soil are badly aer-
taproots and tuberous roots. ated and infertile subsoil.
• Mycorrhiza - structure produced from the combination • Bamboo gregarious flowering - general flowering over
of the modified rootlet with fungal tissue. the considerable area of all (or) most of the individuals
of certain species, that do not flower annually. Generally
followed by death of a plant.
Do you know?
1. A tree can absorb as much as 48 pounds of carbon • Sal Tree grows in variety of geological formations but
dioxide per year and can sequester 1 ton of carbon completely absent in Deccan trap where its place is
dioxide by the time it reaches 40 years old. taken by teak.
2. Tree wood is a highly organized arrangement of • Sandal tree is a partial-root parasite. The seedlings of
living, dying, and dead cells. this species grow independently in the beginning but in
few months develop haustorial connections with the
roots of some shrub and later with some tree species
13.7.5. Canopy classification– growing in the vicinity. Sandle tree manufactures its
• Relative completeness of canopy. Classified into 4 types. own food but depends upon the host like other partial
parasites for water and mineral nutrients.
• Closed - the density is 1.0
• Dense - the density is 0.75 to 1.0 • Aerial seeding is the process of dispersing the seed
aerially. In India, aerial seeding has been done on ex-
• Thin - the density is 0.50 to 0.75 periment basis in Chambal ravines in UP, Rajasthan,
• Open - the density is under 0.50 West Bengal and Western Ghats of Maharashtra. The
research carried out during 1982 shows that the sur-
13.7.6. Other characters vival percentage was 97.3 and 2.7 for Prosopis juliflora
• Phenology - Science that deals with the time of appear- and Acacia nilotica respectively. The survey indicated
ance of characteristic periodic events such as leaf shed- that 25% of the area has not responded for aerial seed-
ding etc. ing at all.

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