Bio Bulletin 4(2): 26-102(2018) (Published by Research Trend, Website: www.biobulletin.com) ISSN NO. (Print): 2454-7913 ISSN NO. (Online): 2454-7921 Angiospermic Plants of Terai region, Uttar Pradesh, India K. K. Khanna Botanical Survey of India, Central Regional Centre, 10, Chatham Lines, Allahabad - 211002, India (Corresponding author: K. K. Khanna) (Published by Research Trend, Website: www.biobulletin.com) (Received 03 September 2018; Accepted 25 November 2018) ABSTRACT: The paper deals with an account of angiospermic plants occurring in terai region, Uttar Pradesh, India. The results have indicated that a total of 1753 species and 40 infraspecific taxa belonging to 845 genera and 165 families are found in the region. An analysis has indicated that Poaceae is the most dominant family and Cyperus is the most dominant genus in the region. Moreover, eight taxa are endemic while 110 taxa are rare in the region. In addition, 10 species viz., Illicium griffithii Hook.f. & Thomson, Cyperus cephalotes Vahl, Cyperus pulcherrimus Willd. ex Kunth, Fimbristylis aphylla Steud., Scleria annularis Steud., Scleria terrestris (L.) Fassett, Coelachne simpliciuscula (Wight & Arn. ex Steud.) Munro ex Benth., Echinochloa picta (J.Koenig) P.W.Michael, Eragrostis patula (Kunth) Steud. and Oryza minuta J.Presl ex K. Presl are reported as new records for the state of Uttar Pradesh. Keywords: Angiosperms, Terai region, Uttar Pradesh, India How to cite this article: Khanna, K. K. (2018). Angiospermic Plants of Terai region, Uttar Pradesh, India. Bio Bulletin, 4(2): 26-102. Sometimes, October, January and February also INTRODUCTION experience occasional rains. The average annual rainfall The terai region in Uttar Pradesh, India lies along the varies from 1,090 to 1,230 mm. The entire region is foothills of Himalayas covering 21 districts of the state covered by various types of forests and the total forest viz., Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Moradabad, cover is about 5,406 sq km which is 8.378 % of the total Rampur, Bareilly, Pilibhit, Shahjahanpur, Kheri geographical area of the region. The region is typical in (Lakhimpur), Sitapur, Bahraich, Shravasti, Balrampur, the sense as elements of subhimalayan tracts and Gonda, Sidharthnagar, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, gangetic plains intermix together thus providing ecotone Maharajganj, Gorakhpur, Kushinagar and Deoria (Fig. zone. Due to rich biodiversity one national park and six 1). The entire region is situated between 28°45′–26°15′ wildlife sanctuaries have been declared in the region. N and 079°51′–084°24′ E at an altitude ranging from 100 The entire region is also traversed by a number of lakes – 400 m above mean sea level and covers an area of and ponds which remain full of water throughout the about 64,520 sq km. The region is bordered in the north year. Simultaneously, a number of large drains and hilly by Nepal country and Uttarakhand state, in the south by rivulets also occur which usually remain dry but get the remaining districts of Uttar Pradesh, in the east by flooded during rainy season. At various places the banks Bihar state and in the west by Haryana state. The of the drains are very high and show soil erosion due to climate of the area is typically of monsoon type where flood. The soil in the drains and rivulets is sandy. there is prominence of dew formation. The winter Otherwise, the soil is typical of terai which is very fertile, season starts from November and continues up to clayey in composition and has high water retaining February with minimum temperature of about 4ºC. This capacity. is followed by autumn, summer and rainy seasons. A perusal of literature indicates that although a During summer season the day temperature goes up to number of investigators (Duthie, 1903-1929; Kanjilal, 40-42ºC but the night is not so hot and a little pleasant. 1933; Panigrahi and Saran, 1967; Panigrahi et al., 1969; The entire area experiences western hot waves from Srivastava, 1976; Singh, 1997; Saini, 2005; Singh, March to May. Usually the monsoon starts from the 2006, 2007; Pandey et al., 2008; Maliya and Datt, 2010; month of June and continues up to September. Maliya, 2012; Kumar et al., 2015; Bajpai et al., 2015; Bio Bulletin (2018), Vol. 4(2): 26-102, Khanna 26 Khanna, 2009, 2015a, 2015b, 2015c) have worked out integrifolia (Roxb.) Planch., Dendrocalamus strictus the angiospermic plants of various parts of the region (Roxb.) Nees, etc. Shrubby undergrowth mainly but no consolidated effort has been made to workout the comprises of Grewia helicterifolia Wall. ex G.Don, angiospermic plants of terai region of Uttar Pradesh as Caesalpinia bonduc (L.) Roxb., Ardisia solanacea a whole. Hence, it has been considered worthwhile to Roxb., Jatropha gossypifolia L., Phoenix acaulis Roxb., study the angiospermic plants of the region and the etc. Common climbers in the forest are Mimosa results are presented in the paper. It is worth mentioning himalayana Gamble, Combretum album Pers., here that the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Cryptolepis dubia (Burm.f.) M.R.Almeida, Ichnocarpus and the Biological Diversity Bill 2000 of our country have frutescens (L.) R.Br., Dregea volubilis (L.f.) Benth. ex also laid emphasis on the inventorisation of the special Hook.f., Smilax perfoliata Lour. and Dioscorea bulbifera ecoregion (rich biodiversity areas) so that a fair L. Ground flora chiefly comprises of Crotalaria albida assessment can be made for the sustainable utilization Heyne ex Roth, Clerodendrum infortunatum L., Solanum of their bioresources. incanum L., Barleria cristata L., Desmodium gangeticum (L.) DC., Uraria lagopus DC., Blumea laciniata (Roxb.) Forests of study region DC., Elephantopus scaber L., Dicliptera chinensis (L.) The forests of the terai region, Uttar Pradesh Juss., Rungia pectinata (L.) Nees, Aerva sanguinolenta may be categorized into eight groups in accordance to (L.) Blume, Habenaria plantaginea Lindl., Zingiber the classification of Champion & Seth (1968). capitatum Roxb., Curculigo orchioides Gaertn., (1) Sal forest (5B/CIb) Chlorophytum tuberosum (Roxb.) Baker, etc. Besides, a (2) Northern dry mixed deciduous forest (5B/C2) number of grasses, such as Apluda mutica L., (3) Terminalia alata forest (3/EI) Bothriochloa bladhii (Retz.) S.T.Blake, Cymbopogon (4) Aegle forest (5/E6) martini (Roxb.) W.Watson, Oplismenus burmanni (5) Khair-sissoo forest (5/IS2) (Retz.) P.Beauv., Enteropogon dolichostachyus (Lag.) (6) Jamun (Syzygium cumini) forest (4D/SS3) Keng, Heteropogon contortus (L.) P.Beauv. ex Roem. & (7) Cane brakes (I/EI) Schult., Imperata cylindrica (L.) Raeusch. and (8) Barringtonia swamp forest (4D/SS2) Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.Br. are also found. (1) Sal forest (5B/CIb): Shorea robusta Roxb. ex (3) Terminalia alata forest (3/EI): Terminalia alata C.F.Gaertn. is the dominant species and is often Heyne ex Roth is fairly common in sal forests but associated with Terminalia alata Heyne ex Roth. Other sometimes extending over fairly larger areas. In the associated species are Haldina cordifolia (Roxb.) understorey smaller trees of Terminalia alata Heyne ex Ridsdale, Aegle marmelos (L.) Corrêa, Terminalia Roth, Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels, Mallotus philippensis bellirica (Gaertn.) Roxb., Mallotus philippensis (Lam.) (Lam.) Müll.Arg., Helicteres isora L. and Kydia calycina Müll.Arg., Mitragyna parvifolia (Roxb.) Korth., Holarrhena Roxb. occur. Ground flora comprises of Clerodendrum pubescens (Buch.-Ham.) Wall. ex G.Don and Lannea infortunatum L. and coarse grasses like Heteropogon coromandelica (Houtt.) Merr. At places thick contortus (L.) P.Beauv. ex Roem. & Schult., Imperata undergrowth of Helicteres isora L., Murraya koenigii (L.) cylindrica (L.) Raeusch. and Eulaliopsis binata (Retz.) Spreng., Catunaregam spinosa (Thunb.) Tirveng., C.E.Hubb. Glycosmis pentaphylla (Retz.) DC., Clerodendrum (4) Aegle forest (5/E6): Aegle marmelos (L.) Corrêa infortunatum L. and Flemingia chappar Buch.-Ham. ex forms the dominant tree species. Other species like Benth. occurs. Common climbers in such type of forests Ziziphus xylopyra (Retz.) Willd., Lannea coromandelica are Bauhinia vahlii Wight & Arn., Dregea volubilis (L.f.) (Houtt.) Merr., Acacia catechu (L.f.) Willd., Haldina Benth. ex Hook.f., Millettia extensa (Benth.) Baker and cordifolia (Roxb.) Ridsdale and Diospyros melanoxylon Tiliacora acuminata (Lam.) Hook.f. & Thomson. Roxb. are occasionally found. Herbaceous flora generally comprises of Sida cordata (5) Khair-sissoo forest (5/IS2): Dominant species are (Burm.f.) Borss., Desmodium gangeticum (L.) DC., Acacia catechu (L.f.) Willd. and Dalbergia sissoo Roxb. Elephantopus scaber L., Cyanthillium cinereum (L.) In addition, Bombax ceiba L., Tamarix dioica Roxb. ex H.Rob., Elytraria acaulis (L.f.) Lindau, Nelsonia Roth, Calotropis gigantea (L.) R.Br., C. procera (Aiton) canescens (Lam.) Spreng., Celosia argentea L., R.Br. and Acacia nilotica (L.) Delile subsp. indica Zingiber capitatum Roxb., Z. roseum (Roxb.) Roscoe, (Benth.) Brenan are also common. Curculigo orchioides Gaertn. and Chlorophytum (6) Jamun (Syzygium cumini) forest (4D/SS3): These tuberosum (Roxb.) Baker. Some of the common grasses are areas where vegetation is purely of Syzygium are Apluda mutica L., Cymbopogon martini (Roxb.) cumini (L.) Skeels having high crop density and often W.Watson, Dactyloctenium aegyptium (L.) Willd., mixed with Bischofia javanica Blume, Albizia lebbeck Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn., Eulaliopsis binata (Retz.) (L.) Benth., Ficus racemosa L., Putranjiva roxburghii C.E.Hubb., Heteropogon