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A comprehensive checklist documented 3,261 flowering plant species in the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve.
Context
Location and Status
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- Spans the southern extremity of the Western Ghats, straddling Kerala and Tamil Nadu
- Area: about 3,500 sq km; highest point Agasthyarkoodam peak, 1,868 m
- Notified by the Government of India in 2001
- Inscribed in the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves under the Man and the Biosphere Programme in 2016
- One of South India’s four biosphere reserves, with Nilgiri, Gulf of Mannar and Seshachalam Hills
Major Plant Families
The most species-rich families recorded are:
| Plant Family | Number of Taxa |
|---|---|
| Fabaceae | 349 |
| Rubiaceae | 194 |
| Poaceae | 193 |
| Orchidaceae | 168 |
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Important Facts for Examsmost asked
- Biosphere Reserve: A protected area designed to conserve biodiversity while allowing sustainable use of natural resources.
- Endemic Species: A species naturally restricted to a particular geographical area.
- Steno-endemic: A species or taxon restricted to a very small or specific geographical/habitat range.
- Biogeography: Study of the geographical distribution of living organisms.
- Angiosperms: Flowering plants that produce seeds enclosed within fruits.
- Fabaceae: The legume/pea family, including beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas and many other plants.
- Rubiaceae: The coffee family, which includes coffee, quinine and many tropical flowering plants.
- Poaceae: The grass family, including rice, wheat, maize, sugarcane and bamboo.
- Orchidaceae: The orchid family, known for its highly diverse and often ornamental flowering plants.
- Western Ghats: A major mountain system along India’s western coast and one of the world’s important biodiversity hotspots.
- Nilgiri (1986) was India’s first biosphere reserve
- Kani tribe — known for the Arogyapacha plant, the basis of India’s first access and benefit-sharing model under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002
