Additional floral elements to the Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve , Rajasthan , India

The Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve (RTR) located in semi-arid zones of western India is popularly known for the Indian Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) protection. Stretched over Aravalli and Vindhya ranges, the Reserve sustains a highly variable phytodiversity with dominant Anogeissus pendula Edgew. Forest cover. Floristic and ethnobotanical studies were conducted in the RTR during the years 2001-2005. This has resulted in adding, 141 species of flowering plants belonging to 113 genera spread over to 48 families, not recorded earlier. The recorded species are inventorised following Bentham and Hooker’s classification.

Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve (RTR), located in the southeastern part of Sawai Madhopur District of Rajasthan State in western India, is well known for the Indian Tiger -a subspecies in crisis.It is located between 25°54-26°12N & 76°23-76°35E, with an area of 1333.88km 2 at the average altitude of 350m.The dense forests of Anogeissus pendula Edgew.(Dhok), along with other tree associates and shrubby and herbaceous layers, provide shelter and food for wildlife.Sharma (1983), Das (1987), Das & Singh (1995) and others reported 392 species of higher plants.General vegetation account and floristic studies of Sawai Madhopur district have also been carried out by Jain (1960), Mathur (1987), and Das (1990).
The reserve sustains many rare and endangered plant species, most of which are considered threatened now.Many wild relatives of crop plants have also been identified as a potential genetic resource.Therefore the BSI surveyed the RTR for more than four years (from February 2001 to March 2005) and compiled data.A total of 539 species of flowering plants were collected (Singh & Shrivastava 2007), of these, the occurrence of 398 species were recorded by earlier workers.Thus 141 species belonging to 113 genera spread over to 48 families are additions.
Field surveys were conducted to the study of floristic diversity of RTR.Specimens collected were preserved and identified with the help of regional flora volumes, viz.Flora of Rajasthan (Shetty & Singh 1987-1993) and Flora of North-eastern Rajasthan (Sharma & Tiagi 1979) and matching with the types in various Indian herbaria including the Botanical Survey of India, Jodhpur (BSJO), Central National Herbarium, Kolkata (CNH) and Herbarium of Rajasthan University, Jaipur (RUBL).All the voucher specimens are deposited in BSJO.Arrangement of families is according to Bentham andHooker (1862-1883).Introduced species are marked with an asterisk (*) against the name.
The present study not only records 141 species of flowering plants as additions to RTR but also reports 75 species as additions to Sawai Madhopur district where the RTR exists.It is interesting to note that 20 grasses (Poaceae) and 14 sedges (Cyperaceae) taxa were also added.Implementation of wildlife protection rules and regulations and proper conservation and management strategies may form RTR more suitable habitat for in-situ conservation for the species of rare occurrence.

Species highlights:
In this study, an interesting, rare species considered to be endemic to western Rajasthan,