ISSN 1809-127X (online edition) © 2011 Check List and Authors Chec List Open Access | Freely available at www.checklist.org.br Journal of species lists and distribution PECIES S Tamilnadu, India OF Angiosperm flora from wetlands of Kanyakumari district, * ISTS Selvamony Sukumaran and Solomon Jeeva L Nesamony Memorial Christian College, Department of Botany, Centre for Biodiversity and Biotechnology. Marthandam-629 165, Kanyakumari District, Tamilnadu, India. * Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] Abstract: district, Tamilnadu, India. During the survey, 124 species of angiosperms belonging to 31 families and 81 genera were documented. Qualitative Dominant floristic families surveys were Poaceaewere carried with out39 duringspecies 2007-2009 followed by in Cyperaceaethe wetland (24),ecosystem Scrophulariaceae of Kanyakumari (9), Commelinaceae (5), Acanthaceae and Convolvulaceae (4 speceis each) and Hydrocharitaceae and Verbenaceae (3 species there are 21 dominant Pantropical species, 15 subdominant Asiatic species and 11 co-dominant Indian species. Five species areeach.) endemic Ten families to Southern were represented Western Ghats. by two species each, whereas thirteen families were monospecific. Of the 124 species, Introduction study is meant to prepare the checklist of wetland plants terrestrial and aquatic eco-systems where the water table this area. is usuallyWetlands at orare near defined the surface as lands or thetransitional land is covered between by of Kanyakumari district, the first exploration of the kind in shallow water (Mitsch and Gosselink 1986) and it occupies Materials and Methods 4-6% of the earth’s land area (Matthews and Fung 1987; Study area Aselmann and Crutzen 1989). Wetlands in India that occupy Kanyakumari district (77°07’ – 77°35’ E, 08°05’ – 58.2 million hectares (including areas under wet paddy 08°35’ N) is a part of Western Ghats, and it occupies an cultivation), face tremendous anthropogenic pressures area of about 1672 sq. km. and is inhabited by 11,37,181 people (Figure 1). The rainfall varies from 103 cm to 310 changes in land use/land cover, burgeoning development cm and altitude is about 1829msl (Raj, 2002). Most of the projectssuch as rapidlyand improper expanding use human of watersheds, population, which large in scaleturn district is composed of gneissic rocks (Foote 1884). The et al. soils are red varying in their quantity of their ferruginous 2002; Singh et al. element. etgreatly al. 2010; influence Anand the et al.aquatic 2010; biodiversity Chackacherry (Prasad 2010; John and Francis 2010; 2006; Kannan Kumar and and Arun Gupta Raja 2009; 2010; Alexander Prasad as coastal region, middle region and mountainous region. 2010; Ramachandra 2010; Rasingam 2010). TheTopographically coastal region, thiswhich district stretches may befrom broadly south classified east to Kanyakumari, a district with unique environment west, has small township like Anjugramam, Puthalam, receives two monsoons and it supports rich repertoire Thamaraikulam, Vattakottai etc., on the southeast and of wetlands (Kiruba et al. 2010), small and big, lentic Colachel, Muttom, Thengapattanam etc., on the West Coast. and lotic, natural and manmade, adding freshness to the Middle region (plains) contains large number of pristine beauty of the district. These areas which are wetlands and irrigation canals showing the richness of occupied by aquatic and shore vegetation that establish hydrophytes, which provides a wintering and staging strong association between aquatic and terrestrial ground for a number of migratory waterfowls and a breeding ground for resident birds. Small townships are production, nutrient cycling, and serve as bioindicators forecosystems, eutrophication which processes play a significant (Scheffer role1998; in Ahila the primary Angelin jack fruit are some of the commonly cultivated plants. et al. 2010; Araujo et al. 2010; Eyarin Jehamalar et al. surroundedThe mountainous by paddy region fields. of Coconut, the Southern banana, Western mango Ghats and 2010a-c; Indirani 2010; Lawrence 2010; Mary Christi et provides a continuous wall along the northern side of the al. 2010; Packia Raj 2010; Reginald 2010; Regini Balasingh district. Many estates of Rubber, Cardamom, Tapioca etc., 2010; Satya and Sangeetha 2010; Thangam et al. 2010; are present in this hilly ranges (Henry and Swaminathan Vasantha 2010). However, little attention has been paid 1981). to the systematic study on aquatic and wetland plants of Kanyakumari district (Sukumaran and Raj 2009; Sathia Floristic survey Geetha et al. 2010; Sukumaran et al. 2010). Consequently, the year 2007-2009. The plant specimens were collected gain more knowledge on species richness as well as their at differentAn extensive reproductive floristic surveystages wasto prepare conducted herbarium during geographicalbotanical explorations distribution. of wetland In view plantsof this arefact, necessary the present to specimens and authenticate their correct identity. The Check List | Volume 7 | Issue 4 | 2011 486 Sukumaran and Jeeva | Angiosperm flora from wetlands of Kanyakumari, India are ideal habitats for many aquatic, semi aquatic wetland collected specimens were identified taxonomically with andbanks, marsh ditches, plants low-lying (Figures water-logged 2, 3 and 5). Seasonalareas, rice puddles fields 1935;the help Henry of availableand Nair monographs,1983 - 1989; Mohanantaxonomic and revisions Henry and ditches are scattered through out the district, more 1994;and floras Santapau (Hooker and 1872. Henry 1984; 1994; Gamble Kabeer and and Fischer Nair 2009)1915- commonly along the interior of the villages. They get (1962). Collected specimens were cross checked for in a short period, while in others, water may persist for a and by using the field keys devised by Subramanyam considerablyfilled up with long water time. during In the the forest, monsoon the hill season swamps and anddry Botanical Garden and Research Institute, Trivanduram, streams support a different type of aquatic vegetation. In Keralacorrect andidentification Botany Department at the Herbariumof Nesamony of MemorialTropical Christian College, Marthandam. for hydrophytes of different groups. In Kanyakumari Lists of endangered, rare and endemic plants found district,plains, the almost low-lying all the paddy water fields resources form areimportant occupied habitat with in the wetlands was prepared with the help of published works of IUCN (1980, 1994), Nayar and Sastry (1990), Nayar (1996) and Subbarayalu and Velmurugan (1999). various types of macrophytes (Figure 4) viz. free floating, floating, submerged, rotted shoreline etc, which are an by usig the literature available (Parthasarathy 1988; dependingintegral part upon of the their ecosystem nature, and habits, act as conduct bio-filters. with The water, five PareekPhytogeography and Sharma of the 1988; floristic Bharucha elements and were Meher-Homji analysed soil,life forms air and of light. hydrophytes of the district can be classified 1965; Basha et al. 1992; Chatterjee 1939; Kabeer and Nair a) Free floating hydrophytes: Commonly seen in stagnant 2009). The voucher specimens were prepared by using the standard methods given by Martin (1995) and deposited in the herbarium (NMCCH) of Nesamony Memorial Christian water bodies, slow flowing water and are in conduct with College Marthandam, Kanyakumari, Tamilnadu, India. only water, air, and light. Such species typically float on leaveswater surfaceand well with developed extensive submerged root system. roots. Some Very taxa often are Ecological Classification theselarge speciesstoloniferous, occur inwith pure rosetters communities of aerial and orcompletely floating The common habitats of hydrophytes and marshy cover up the water surface where favorable conditions vegetation are in the ponds, tanks, rivers, dams, canal b) Submerged hydrophytes: Generally, in such species theexist. foliage is entirly submerged, conduct with soil or rock but their reproductive parts are raised slightly above the water level. c) Fixed floating hydrophytes: These types of plants are in contact with soil, water and air. Some of the plants occur on soft wet muddy substratum or root-in water surface and are in contact with soil, water and air, even after the substratum is considerably dried up. d) Amphibious hydrophytes: Commonly occur on beneath the soil surface. These plants are adapted to sustainexposed in or both submerged aquatic andsoils terrestrial where the modes water of life.table The is aerial parts of these amphibious hydrophytes are with mesophytic characters and the submerged parts shows true hydrophytic characters. Many of these thrive well even after the substratum is considerably dried up. e) Marshy and wetland hydrophytes: These are also known as ‘border line’ plants in this category and the soil is usually saturated with water atleast in the early bank of water bodies, marshy and wet areas near human part of the plant life. They occur in moist rice fields, vegetation of such habitats. They are frequently observed habitation. Large number of herbacious taxa included the forests and marshy localities. Many grasses and sedges are with in wet rice fields, along hill swamps, streams in categoryenumerated an quantitativelyaquatic wetland significant. plants belong, since the sameBesides, plant itmay is difficultalso grow to ascertainand behave to which differently particular in a changed situations (Maliya 2006). Floating hydrophytes like Pistia stratiotes and Eichnornia crassipes may