Phytodiversity and Useful Plants of Eastern Ghats of Orissa : A Special Reference to the Koraput Region

Contents: Introduction. I. General account and topography: 1. Area. 2. Topography. 3. Geology. 4. Soil. 5. Climate. II. Vegetation: 1. Forest vegetation. 2. Grassland vegetation. 3. Hydrophytic vegetation. 4. Biotic interferences over the vegetation. 5. Faunal composition. 6. Botanical exploration - past and present. 7. Present collections and presentation of the work. 8. Statistical analysis of the flora. 9. Endemic, endangered and germplasm materials. 10. Pytogeographical aspects. III. Economic plants: 1. Timber yielding plants. 2. Tannin and essential oil yielding plants. 3. Fibre yielding plants. 4. Paper and pulp yielding plants. 5. Plants with edible leaves. 6. Plants with edible underground parts. 7. Plants with edible flowers/shoot. 8. Plants with edible fruits. 9. Medicinal plants. 10. Cultivated plants. 11. Garden plants. 12. Vegetables. 13. Tuber crops. 14. Fruit plants. 15. Cereals and millets. 16. Pulses. 17. Oil seeds. 18. Spices and condiments. 19. Sugar crops. IV. Systematic account: 1. Key to the families of flowering plants. 2. Enumeration of plants. References. Index for valid scientific name, genus and family.

“The present work embodies the result of more than ten years floristic and utility of plant resources survey of one of the remote areas of the Eastern Ghats region comprising four districts of Orissa, viz, Rayagada, Koraput, Nowrangpur and Malkangiri. The Koraput region is rich in plant wealth and for long time this area was under-explored. The study covers an area of 26,921sq km and the total number of species described are 582 (324 genera and 100 families) that includes several rare/endangered and endemic taxa along with 19 photographs and 16 line diagrams. Keys to the families, genera and species (based on modified Bentham and Hooker’s System) have been provided to help identification. Systematic enumeration includes species nomenclature, diagnostic description and local names. Phytogeographically the area is most interesting as its floristic composition represents an admixture of the northern tropical and temperate elements with those of the Deccan elements and a meeting ground of southern and northern type of forests. The book will be useful to teachers, scholars and students of botany, agriculture and forestry and to plant lovers and such others.” (jacket)