Lot to be explored of Meghamalai flora

Last study is said to have been done in 1980s

Tea estates near the Manalar dam on Megamalai hills in Theni district. File photo

The last extensive study of flora in the biodiversity-rich Meghamalai is said to have been conducted in the early 1980s. Since then, no comprehensive research has been done on the vegetation, say experts.

V. Ganesan, Conservator of Forests, Salem, who had worked as District Forest Officer, Theni, says that the study conducted in the 1980s by Ravikumar, a medicinal plants conservationist, resulted in the identification of a dozen new species of plants. An earlier study, conducted by E. Blatter, an Englsihman, is older by a century.

“A detailed exploration of the vegetation in Meghamalai is yet to be done. The richness of the evergreen forests has not been fully understood,” he told

The Hindu on Tuesday.

According to him, Meghamalai is rich with species such as

Cullenia excelsa, Aglaia roxburghiana, Rhododendron arboretum, Musa acuminate, ornamental trees and ferns. Meghamalai is also home to different types of forests, including dry thorn, dry deciduous, moist deciduous, semi-evergreen, wet-evergreen, sub-tropical hill forests, mountain grasslands and shola forests, Mr. Ganesan says. “A large extent of wet evergreen forest patches fall under private ownership, where there are tea, coffee and cardamom plantations. They are crucial habitats of Lion-Tailed Macaques, which mostly prefer Cullenia excelsa, a species found commonly in the wet evergreen forests,” he adds.

Similarly, the Grizzled Giant Squirrels survive on Aglaia roxburghiana , a fruit-yielding tree, found in abundance in the semi and wet evergreen forest patches. The mountain grasslands are vital for the survival of Nilgiri Thars, he adds.

C.P. Rajkumar of Vaigai Association for Nature and Mountain Ranges (VANAM), a Theni-based environmental organisation, explains that Meghamalai is the southern most tip for

Rhododendron arboretum , a tree species found from the Himalayas.

“A comprehensive study has to be conducted on the flora in Varushanadu hills since there are a few species predominant in the area,” he says.

“Species such as Namarai banana, which was once cultivated in abundance in Meghamalai and Palani, are on the verge of extinction. Several species still remain unidentified in Meghamalai and a comprehensive study will definitely be helpful in identifying several species,” concludes Mr. Ganesan.