Vegetational Wealth of Aravalli Ranges

Contents: Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. Previous Work. 3. Materials and Methods. 4. Area of Study: Topography Geology, Soil, Rainfall, Climate. 5. General Account of Aravalli Ranges. 6. Statistical Analysis of the Flora. 7. Results and Discussion. 8. Key to the Families. 9. Systematic Treatment. 10. References. 11. Index to Families. The Aravalli ranges are one of the oldest mountain systems of the world which have the oldest granitic and gneissic rocks at their base, overlain by the rocks of the Aravalli Super groups. These rocks are highly metamorphosed at certain places and show rich occurrences of minerals of great commercial importance. The Aravalli ranges are fairly rich in floral diversity and man and other organisms have to depend solely on these bioresources. The assessment of flora of the region is based on collection made during the present work and previous reports by various investigators. A total of 1041 species are described, which are based on present and past studies. Nearly 325 plant species are represented by photographs. There are total 838 species of dicotyledons belonging to 455 genera and 105 families and 203 species of monocots belonging to 109 genera and 19 families in the region. Family Poaceae, Fabaceae and Asteraceae have been represented by maximum numbers of species. The south eastern ranges of the area possess good vegetation and high plant diversity. This volume of description of flowering plants and bio-resources of Aravalli ranges will be useful to forest and agriculture department and planners, policy makers conservationists in managing the bio-resources of the region. It would be a reference manual for botanists, ecologists, foresters, students, agriculturists, pharmaceutical industries, nature lovers. …