BULL. BOT. SURV. INDIA Vol. 13, Nos. 3 8 4 : pp. 292-318, 1971 MATERIALS FOR THE FLORA OF CHANDRAPUR DISTRICT, MAHARASHTRA STATE Botanical Sm<y of India, Poona ABSTRACT A general account of the vegetation of the Chandrapur district in Maharashtra State is presen- ted in the paper. Location, topography, geology and climate are briefly discussed. An enumeration of plants is added to give an idea of the Rora of the district. INTRODUCTION The climate of the district is characterised by a A floristic account of the Chandrapur district of hot summer, well distributed rainfall during the Maharashtra State is lacking. Haines (1916) has South-west monsoon season and general dryness ex- mentioned some plants from the Chandrapur dis- cept in the rainy season. The average annual rain- trict. A few more plants have, however, been re- fall in the district is 1420.2 mm. Maximum rainfall ported by Tiwari (1954, 1955 & 1963) ; Tiwari et occurs in July. The cold season is from December Maheshwari (1964) and Malhotra & Moorthy (1971). to February. This is followed by hot season from In the present paper materials for a flora of March to May. The monsoon season is from June Chandrapur district are presented. The qork is to September. October and November constitute being continued with a view to bring out an ex- the post monsoon season. haustive flora of the district. The specimens are VEGETATION deposited in BSI under S. K. Malhoua (Senior The forest vegetation of the district is of mixed author). deciduous type. There are several dense forest reserves like Ikara, Porla, Bramha~uri, Kolsa, LOCATION, TOPOGRAPHY, GEOLOGY AND CLIMATE Taroba, Kanhargaon, Lakkarkote, Mulchera, AUa- palli, Elgurtola, Jimalgatta, Koppela, Sornanpalli Chandrapur district of Maharashtra State is etc. in the district. situated at 78'50'-81" East longitude 3nd 2o050'- Albizia lebbeck; A. odoratissima ; Anogeissus I 8'40' North latitude. latzjolza ; Bombax ceiba ; Chloroxylon swietenia ; The greater part of the area surveyed is undula- Ualbergia lanceolana ; Oiosflros melanoxylon ; La- ting with hill ranges varying from elevation of about gerstroemia parvijlora ; Mitragyna parvifolia; Soy- 150 rn to 450 m above the surrounding plains. It is mida febrzfuga ; Sterculza urens ; Stereospermum cut off by seasonal nallas and rivulets. The Wain- suaveolens; Tectona grandis etc. form the top canopy ganga river passes through the middle of the dis- particularly in Ikara, Kolsa, Jimalgatta and Taroba trict touching Warsa, Armori and Garhchiroli and reserves. The second layer of the forest is formed near Aheri it is joined by Dina river and the re- by a mixture of a number of small trees and shrubs sultant being called Pranhita river near Sironchs like Adzna cordzfolza ; Bridelia retusa ; Butea mono- which later joins the River Godavari. The area is sperma ;Capparis grandis ;Clerodendrum sewaturn ; bordered on the eastern si& by Bastar district of C'lezstanthus collinus ; Uodonaea viscosa ; L)esmodi- Madhya Pradesh near Dechili. On the western side um pulchellum ; Eriolaena hookeri ; Erythroxylo?a near Sironcha lies Adilabad, the district of Andhra monogynum ; Flacourtia ~ndaca; Gardenia gummi- Pradesh. fera ; G. resinifera ; Garuga pznnata ; Grewia abut*- The main rocks are granite, quartz and quartzite. lzjolia ; G. tzliaefolia ; Helicteris zsora ; Holarrhena On the upper and steeper slopes of the hills, the antrdysenterica ; lndigofera cassiozdes ; Lantana rocks are generally exposed, resulting in denuded camara ; Leea edgeworthii ; L. macrophylla ; Mogha- and shallow soils. Soil is deep and well suited to nia strobilifera ;Pavetta indica; lYoodfordia fruti- forest growth on the ridges and in the valleys etc. cosa etc, 19711 MALHOTRA AND MOORTHY: MATERIALS FOR THE FLORA OF CHANDRAPUR DISTRICT 293 The forests are also rich in lianas and climbers indica ; Terminalia tomentosa ; Vitex negundo ; like Abrus precatorius ; Ampelocissus latzfolia ; Zzzyphus mauritiana etc. are generally seen. Aristolo~hia indzca ; Atylosia scarabaeoides ; Caly- The district abounds in ponds, puddles and copteris jlorzbunda ; Cissampelos $areira; Cvpto- accordingly an interesting aquatic flora is met with. lepis buchanani ;Derris scandens ;Dioscorea penta- The common species being Cerato$hyllum demur- phylla ; Galactia tenuifolia ; Hemidesmus indicus ; sum ; Ipomoea aquatica ; Limnophila indica ; lchnocarpus frutescens ; Mucuna prurita; Phanera Limnophyton o btusifolium ; Monocharia vaginalis ; vahlii ;Symphorema polyandrum ; Teramnus labia- Myriophyllum spathulatum ; Nelumbo nucifera ; lis; Yentilago denticulata etc. Nymphaea nouchali ;N. stellata; Pistia stratiotes; The trees are often loaded with the epiphytes like 'f'enegocharis latafolzum etc. Besides, Aeschenomene Vanda tassellata and parasites like Cassytha filifor- aspera ; A. indica ;Bothriochloa pertusa ; Dentella mis; Dendrophthoe falcata and Viscum articukztum repens ; D. serpyllum ; Elephantopus scaber ;Erio- etc. caulon dianae ; E. truncatum ;Ludwigia octovaZis ; Bamboos and prickly thickets of canes are often Melo,chia corchorifolia ; Paspalum vaginaturn ; .met with in forest arcas of Manekshagarh, Etapalli, Rotala inidica; Xyris pauciflora etc. are recorded Muramgaon etc. from the marshy and water-logged areas. The undergrowth in forest area is generally rich ENUMERATION after the monsoon. Tn the deep interiors of the DILLENIACEAE forests, the herbs, grasses and a few undershrubs like Dillenia amma Smith Abelmoschus manihot ; '4 brrtilon indicum ; Acaly- Koppela, 108036 A. pha indica ; Achyranthus aspera ; Ageratum cony- ANNONACEAE zoides ;Alysicarpus vaginalis ;Ammannia baccifera ; Annona sqnamaia Linn. A. multifiora ; Andrographis panicnlata ; Blumea Mesa, 122252 ; Kukrel, 134709. membranacea ; Bothriochloa pertusa ; Centotheca Polyalthia longifolia Benth. & Hook. lappacea ; Chrysopogon fulvus ; Coldenia procum Chandrapur, (Planted). bens ;Corchorus aestuans ;Costus s~eciosus; Crota- laria hirsuta ;C. hirta ;C. pusilla ;C. ramosissima ; MENISPERMACEAE Cissaypelas pariera Linn. Curculigo orchioides; Cyanotis cristata ; Cymbopo- Kistapur, 1 I 7 18I ; Wamanpalli, i 19719 ; Kanhr r- gon martini; ;Cyperus irk ;C. rotundus ;Dactyloc- gaon, I 19801 122816 tenium aegyptium; Desmodiunz gangeticum; ; Khatora paroba), ; Kolsa, I 22952 I 23089 I 23784. Eleusine indica ; Hedyotis coerulea ; Heteropogon ; Allapalli, ; Pamburna, COC~UShirsub (Linn.) Diels contortus ; Hybanthecs enneaspermus ; Indigofera I I 7790 ; I 18896 ; linifolia ;Lindernia ciliuta ;L. crustacea ; Lepidaga- Lakkarkote, Chandur, Manek- this cristata ; Lipocarpha chinensis ; L. triceps ; shahgarh, I I 962 I ; Kini (Ballarpur), I 23733 ; Yakal- Mitrasac?ne alsinoides ;Mollugo pentaphylla ;Oplis- pur (Warsa), I 34842 ; Porla, 13505 1. menus compositus ; Orthosiphon pallidus ; Osbeckia TIn~porac0rdif01Es (Willd.) Miers zeylanicum; Pavonia zeylanica; Perotis indica; Tamurda, 122361 ; ~anikgarh,12361 I. Phyla nodiflora ; Rhynchosia aurea ; R. minima ; NYMPHAEACEAE Sida cordata ;Uraria picta ; Urena lobata ; Urgenia Nymphaea nmchali Burm. ; Vernonia cinerea ; Veteveria zizanioides ; Dechili, 109165 ; Mul, ~zzgrr . Walthera indica ; Xanthium strumarium ; Zornia N. stellata Willd. gibbosa etc. are frequently met with. Dechili, log I 61 ; Chandrapur, I 35342. In open countryside, trees and shrubs like Ailan- NELUMBONACEAE thus excelsa ; Azadirachta indica ; Bauhinia varie- Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. gata ; Calotropis gigantea ; Capparis zeylanica ; Mesa, I 22339 ; Aheri 123370 : Bamni (Ballarpur), Cassia aurkulata ;C. siamia ;Casuarina equisitifolia ; 123639 ; Muramgaon, I 35 I 66 ; Junana, 1 353 1 7. Delonix re,+ ; Derris indica ; Emblica officinalis ; PAPAVERACEAE Ficus benghalensis ;F. reii~osa; Hibiscus lam@s ; -ne mexicana Linn. Mangifera indica ;Millingtonia hortensds ;Moringa Ashti, r 19985 ; Bamni (Ballarpur), I 23640 ; Mul, oteifera ; Peltophorum pterocarpum ; Tamarindus I 346 I 6 ; Kukrel, 139721 ; Karva (Kolsa), I 35272. 294 BULLETIN OF THE BOTANICAL SURVEY OF INDIA [VO~.I3 BRASSICACEAE CARYOPHYLLACEAE Roripp indica (Linn.) Hiern Polycarpaea corymbosa &inn.) Lamk. I Ashti, 119983 & 19987 ; Junana, 122947 ; Porla, Wamanpalli, 1 19748 ; Jamni (Taroba), 122683. 135*5* Polycarpon portram (Forsk.) Asch. & Schwein. f. CLEOMACEAE Somanpalli, 108047 ; Kurkhera, 134882. Cleome aspera KmnSgl PORTULACACEAE Dechili, r 09139 ; Wamanpalli, 119744. C. ~nandraLinn. PoMaca oleracea Linn. Somanpalli, 108049 ; Dechili, I 09148 ; Aheri, Rajura, I 18883 ; Ballarpur, 123662 & I 23825. C. monophfla Linn. I I 9873 ; Nagbhir, I 2242 I ; Pandarpani (Taroba), Kukrel, ~~~j19. 122888 ; Ballarpur, I 23628 ; MuI, I 34610 ; Warsa, C. viscosa Linn. 134801 ; Lohara, 135395. P. quadrifida Linn. Lakkarkote, I I 778 I ; Markhanda, I 19955; Warora, 122220; Pandarpani (Taroba), 122755 ; Ballarpur, Chandrapur, I 35362. I 23405 ; Ikara, I 34960 ; Karva (Kolsa), 135267 ; TAMARICACEAE Taroba, I 353 I I. Tamarix ericoides Rottl. CAPPARACEAE Chorampalli nala, I 23 I 47 A. Capparis grandii Linn. f. ELATINACEAE Mesa, 12232I ; Tamurda, I 22399 ; Aksapur, Bergia ammannioida Roxb. ex Roth r 23696 ; Garhchiroli, 135014. Chandrapur, I 22970 ; Armori, I 34899. C. sepiaria Linn. Mesa, 122261; Tamurda, 122401 ; Kanhargaon, MALVACEAE 123682. Abelmoscbus esedentus (Linn.) Moench. C. zeyIanica Linn. Chandrapur, (Cultivated). Elgurtola, I I 9920. A. rnanihot (Linn.) Medic. Crataeva religiosa Forst. Ghantachowki, I 11720 & I 12585 ; Elgurtola, Mohrli, (Planted). I 19916; Markhanda, I 19966 ; Aheri, 123396 ; Dhaba, VIOLACEAE 123764. Hybmthw