Chasmophytes : A Floristic Appraisal

The rock crevices and cliffs, rock walls and rocky slopes play a key role in forming microhabitats for many plants such as angiosperms, pteridophytes and bryophytes. They are added greatly to the phytodiversity of the particular ecosystems. They possess certain biological peculiarities enabling them to occupy such type of habitats. The chasmophytes have develops some adaptative features such as strong roots, several shoots, ground storage organs such as rhizomes, scaly rhizomes, bulbs and tubers and minute seeds. The presence of glandular hairs, water storing cell secretary organs, thick cuticle, presence of thickened cells etc. Therefore, studies on chasmoflora are crucial for not only understanding flora of a region and also take appropriate conservation measures.

Dr. Binu Thomas, M.Sc., M.Phil., Ph.D., Assistant Professor in Post graduate & Research Department of Botany, St. Joseph’s College, Devagiri, Calicut, Kereala, India. He has authored for 5 articles in edited books and more than 90 research artilces to his credit. His research intrests are including Plant Systematics, Ecology and Ethnobotany.