Discuss different types of vegetations found in India.
The different types of vegetations found in India are:
(i) Tropical Rain Forests/Tropical Evergreen Forests: These forests grow in the areas of 200 cm and above rainfall. The trees shed their leaves at different time periods of the year. So they look evergreen most of the time. These forests are found on the slope of the Western Ghats and the island groups of Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar, upper parts of Assam, Tamil Nadu coast, West Bengal, Orissa and north-eastern states of India. Some important trees in these forests are ebony, mahogany, rosewood, rubber and cinchona.
(ii) Tropical Deciduous Forests: These forests grow in the areas receiving rainfall between 200 cm and 70 cm. The trees shed their leaves for about six to eight weeks in dry summer. On the basis of the availability of water, these forests are further divided into two (i) Moist deciduous forests and (ii) Dry deciduous forests. These forests exist in the rainier plains of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Important trees found here are teak, sal, peepal, etc.
(iii) The Thorn Forests and Scrubs: These forests are found in regions with less than 70 cm of rainfall. The natural vegetation consists of thorny trees and bushes. This type of vegetation is found in semi-arid regions of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The common animals found here are rats, mice, rabbits, fox, wolf, tiger, lion, wild ass, horses and camels. Euphorbia, cacti, babool, kikar, palm, cacti and acacia are the main plants.
(iv) Montane Forests: These forests cover mostly the southern slopes of the Himalayas, places having high altitude in southern and northeast India. At higher elevations, temperate grasslands are common. At high altitudes, generally more than 3,600 metres above sea-level alpine vegetation is found. Between a height of 1000 and 2000 metres the wet temperate type of forests are found containing evergreen broadleaf trees such as oaks and chestnuts. Between 1500 and 3000 metres, temperate forests containing coniferous trees like pine, deodar, silver fir, spruce and cedar, are found.
(v) Mangrove Forests: Mangroves are the trees which have their roots above the ground and are normally found in the deltaic areas and the areas of coasts influenced by tides. Sundari is the major tree type in these types of forests which provide durable hard timber. Palm, coconut, keora, agar, also grow in some parts of the delta. They are found in the deltas of Ganges, Mahanadi, Kaveri, Krishna and Godavari. Royal Bengal Tiger is the famous animal in these forests.