An inventory of endemic and near endemic angiosperm flora of Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve, peninsular India

Main Article Content

J. Jayanthi
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6660-5887

Abstract

The Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserve is a biodiverse region of peninsular India that harbors a significant number of endemic and near-endemic angiosperm species. The present documentation reveals a total of 211 endemic taxa conserved in this reserve. Analysis show that the endemic flora is dominated by Western Ghats (57%) elements, followed by Eastern and Western Ghats elements (28%), peninsular endemic elements (9%), and Indian elements (6%). The present study reports two endemic species of Western Ghats Syzygium densiflorum (Myrtaceae) and Meineckia longipes (Phyllanthaceae) as new distribution records for Karnataka state. The family Orchidaceae harbors the maximum endemic taxa. A majority of endemic taxa are confined to the evergreen forest of the reserve, hence these forests need special attention for conservation. 

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Communications

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