Contents: Preface. I. Introduction. II. Floristic diversity. III. Biogeographic zones of India: 1. The trans Himalaya. 2. The West Himalaya. 3. The East Himalaya. 4. North-East India. 5. The Indian desert. 6. The semi-arid zone. 7. The gangetic plain. 8. The Western Ghats. 9. The Deccan Peninsula. 10. The Indian coast. 11. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands. 12. The Lakshadweep Islands. IV. Aquatic and wetland vegetation. V. Weeds and aliens. References. Appendix: 1. Aquatic and marsh plants. 2. Rare and endangered species.

"The present publication is the outcome of extensive botanical surveys and first hand field knowledge of the author gained during the course of over 2 decades from various biogeographic zones of the country. The scope of the present publication lies in highlighting the diverse floral resources, distribution of vegetation types and the enormous floristic diversity occurring in 12 biogeographic zones in India. The numerous colour and black and white photographs of the vegetation types and of unique floral elements have further enhanced the value of this work. The long list of endangered species appended at the end of the book is indicative of the extent of destruction of the biodiversity in the country and calls for conserted efforts to protect the existing biodiversity.

"The book is comprehensive in its scope and is the first of its kind on the subject and fulfils the long felt need of all floristic botanists, foresters, conservation biologists, biogeographers and others interested in biodiversity studies." (jacket)

[R. Raghavendra Rao is on the faculty of National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow. He also wrote Forest Flora of Meghalaya, Ferns of Meghalaya and Nagaland and Assessment of Threatened Plants of India.]

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