Flora
The region has at least 7,500 flowering plants, 700 orchids, 58 bamboos, 64 citrus, 28 conifers, 500 mosses, 700 ferns and 728 lichen species. Some of the important gene pools of citrus, banana and rice have been reported to be originated from this region . About one third of the flora of Northeast India is endemic to this region. The eastern Himalaya support one of the world’s richest alpine floras with high level of endemism (WWF and ICIMOD 2001). According to WWF and ICIMOD 2001, the Temperate Broad Leafed forest type in eastern Himalaya is among the most species rich temperate forest in the world.
Nearly 50% of the total flowering plants recorded from India hail from north eastern region of India (Rao 1994). Takhtajan (1969) treats this region as the ‘Cradle of flowering plants’. The region is habitat of many botanical curiosities and botanical rarities. Sapria himalayana Griff. of the family Rafflesiaceae discovered from Arunachal Pradesh is one of the largest root parasite with crimson flowers measuring 35cm across (Deb, 1957).
Many families, represented in India by solitary genus with one or two species are represented in this region, e.g. Coriariaceae, Nepenthaceace, Turneraceae, Illiciaceae, Ruppiaceae, Siphonodontaceae, Tetracentraceae, and a few others.
According to Vavilov (1926, 1951), the north eastern region of India forming the ‘Hindustan Centre of Origin of Cultivated Plants’ is very important for tropical and sub-tropical fruits, cereals etc. Over 50 species of economic plants have their genetic diversity in this region. Based on geographical distribution, taxonomical and cytogenetical studies, Chakravorty
(1951) suggested Assam-Burma-Siam-Indo-China region as the centre of origin of Musa. Out of estimated 800 species consumed as food plants in India, about 300 species occur in Eastern Himalaya alone.
Orchidaceae, the most fascinating and highly evolved groups of plants with 1229 species belonging to 184 genera in India (Singh & Chauhan 1999), about 700 species have been reported from north eastern region of India. Of these, 545 species belonging to 122 genera are reported from only Arunachal Pradesh of which 12 species are under endangered category, 16 species vulnerable and 31 species threatened.
The genus Rhododendron of Ericaceae is another remarkable group of showy plants with nearly 98% of the total Rhododendrons reported from India are confined to Himalayan region. In total 72 species, 20 sub species and 19 varieties listed from India, eastern Himalaya region harbors 71 species. Out of 12 species, 2 sub species and 5 varieties of Rhododendron endemic to India, in north eastern region, Arunachal Pradesh has maximum number of endemic species with 9 species and 1 sub species, followed by Manipur and Sikkim with 3 species and 1 sub species and Mizoram with 2 species (Mao et al 2001).
Rattans, commonly known as cane is one of the most important NTFP from North East India. Of 60 species of canes reported from India (Basu 1992, Renuka 1997), north eastern region harbours more than 26 species (Thomas and Haridasan 1999) with nearly 18 species distributed in Arunachal Pradesh (Thomas et al 1998). Out of 150 species of bamboos found in India, 63 species in 22 genera are found in Northeast India, spread over an area of 30,500 sq. km. About 25 species of bamboo are considered rare in Northeast India.
The region has at least 7,500 flowering plants, 700 orchids, 58 bamboos, 64 citrus, 28 conifers, 500 mosses, 700 ferns and 728 lichen species. Some of the important gene pools of citrus, banana and rice have been reported to be originated from this region . About one third of the flora of Northeast India is endemic to this region. The eastern Himalaya support one of the world’s richest alpine floras with high level of endemism (WWF and ICIMOD 2001). According to WWF and ICIMOD 2001, the Temperate Broad Leafed forest type in eastern Himalaya is among the most species rich temperate forest in the world.
Nearly 50% of the total flowering plants recorded from India hail from north eastern region of India (Rao 1994). Takhtajan (1969) treats this region as the ‘Cradle of flowering plants’. The region is habitat of many botanical curiosities and botanical rarities. Sapria himalayana Griff. of the family Rafflesiaceae discovered from Arunachal Pradesh is one of the largest root parasite with crimson flowers measuring 35cm across (Deb, 1957).
Many families, represented in India by solitary genus with one or two species are represented in this region, e.g. Coriariaceae, Nepenthaceace, Turneraceae, Illiciaceae, Ruppiaceae, Siphonodontaceae, Tetracentraceae, and a few others.
According to Vavilov (1926, 1951), the north eastern region of India forming the ‘Hindustan Centre of Origin of Cultivated Plants’ is very important for tropical and sub-tropical fruits, cereals etc. Over 50 species of economic plants have their genetic diversity in this region. Based on geographical distribution, taxonomical and cytogenetical studies, Chakravorty
(1951) suggested Assam-Burma-Siam-Indo-China region as the centre of origin of Musa. Out of estimated 800 species consumed as food plants in India, about 300 species occur in Eastern Himalaya alone.
Orchidaceae, the most fascinating and highly evolved groups of plants with 1229 species belonging to 184 genera in India (Singh & Chauhan 1999), about 700 species have been reported from north eastern region of India. Of these, 545 species belonging to 122 genera are reported from only Arunachal Pradesh of which 12 species are under endangered category, 16 species vulnerable and 31 species threatened.
The genus Rhododendron of Ericaceae is another remarkable group of showy plants with nearly 98% of the total Rhododendrons reported from India are confined to Himalayan region. In total 72 species, 20 sub species and 19 varieties listed from India, eastern Himalaya region harbors 71 species. Out of 12 species, 2 sub species and 5 varieties of Rhododendron endemic to India, in north eastern region, Arunachal Pradesh has maximum number of endemic species with 9 species and 1 sub species, followed by Manipur and Sikkim with 3 species and 1 sub species and Mizoram with 2 species (Mao et al 2001).
Rattans, commonly known as cane is one of the most important NTFP from North East India. Of 60 species of canes reported from India (Basu 1992, Renuka 1997), north eastern region harbours more than 26 species (Thomas and Haridasan 1999) with nearly 18 species distributed in Arunachal Pradesh (Thomas et al 1998). Out of 150 species of bamboos found in India, 63 species in 22 genera are found in Northeast India, spread over an area of 30,500 sq. km. About 25 species of bamboo are considered rare in Northeast India.
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