viii, 192p., 63 Col. Photos., Maps, Tables, 25 cm.
CONTENTS
CONTENTS:- Preface. Introduction. Area of the study. Climatic seasons. Vegetation. Soils and minerals. Previous works. Field works. Method of presentation. Ecology. General key. Systematic treatment: 1. Lycopodiaceae. 2. Selaginellaceae. 3. Equisetaceae. 4. Botrychiaceae. 5. Angiopteridaceae. 6. Dicranopteridaceae. 7. Grammitidaceae. 8. Loxogrammaceae. 9. Polypodiaceae. 10. Drynariaceae. 11. Lygodiaceae. 12. Sinopteridaceae. 13. Cheilanthaceae. 14. Actiniopteridaceae. 15. Pteridaceae. 16. Adiantaceae. 17. Hemionitidaceae. 18. Vittariaceae. 19. Hymenophyllaceae. 20. Cyatheaceae. 21. Hypolepidaceae. 22. Dennstaedtiaceae. 23. Pteridiaceae. 24. Lindsaeaceae. 25. Thelypteridaceae. 26. Aspleniaceae. 27. Athyriaceae. 28. Dryopteridaceae. 29. Lomariopsidaceae. 30. Nephrolepidaceae. 31. Davalliaceae. 32. Oleandraceae. 33. Blechnaceae. 34. Stenochlaenaceae. 35. Salviniaceae. List of Pteridophytes of Nilgiris. Selected bibliography. Index to botanical names.
DESCRIPTION
The Nilgiris was identified in 1970 as representative area of the Western Ghats under the UNESCO's Man and Biosphere programme. It is the first biosphere reserve set up in India in 1986. The present work is based on the intense field work personally carried out on the Nilgiris by the authors during 1991-1992 by spending 55 days in the field. This book includes 144 species of Pteridophytes with short description along with identification keys for genera and species and ecological notes. Colour photographs have been provided for important species. Specimen citation has been given for all the species based on our own collections. This is the modern account on the Pteridophyte Flora for this phytogeographically important region. The only previous comprehensive report for the ferns of Nilgiris is by R.H. Beddome (1864). It would be immense use for pteridologists interested in the ferns of the tropics, for research scholars, students and teachers of Pteridology, for forest conservationists and hobbyists.
