Contributions to the Flora of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Abstract

The Andamans and Nicobars are two groups of islands, lying in the Bay of Bengal between the latitudes 6°41' and 13°41' North and longitudes 92°11’ and 94°00' East. The Andamans consist of 204 islands, while the Nicobars are made up of 22 islands.

Geology, soil and climate of these islands are discussed. A brief resume of the botanical history of these islands is presented.

The vegetation of the Andamans is classified into 1. Mangrove forests 2. Beach forortr 3. Evergreen forests, situated at lower elevations in alluvial land and valleys 4. Deciduous forests 5. Moist evergreen forests at higher elevations 6. Vegetation in cleared lands and open areas. In Nicobars the following types of vegetation are met with 1. Beach forests 2. Evergreen forests 3. Grass lands 4. Marine vegetation. The floristic composition of these vegetations is discussed in detail.

A floristic analysis is presented. The approximate number of Phanerogamic species may, amount to 1000 and 700 for the Andamans and Nicobars respectively. The flora has been subjected to the influence of Burma and Malaysia. A number of non-indigenous species have intruded and mixed well with the Andaman flora. A third feature is presence of plants of their own, with a number of endemic species.