Vegetation of Punjab

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Vegetation  of Punjab:-

Introduction:-

Plains in the state of Punjab do not have any thick forests, the only available patches are of grass, small bush and shrubs. In the southern east part of state of Punjab and the areas of Hoshiarpur and Multan, the delicious mango fruit is grown. The other varieties of fruits that are grown in abundance here are orange, apple, fig, quince, almond, pomegranate, peach, mulberry, apricot and plum. The region that has major cultivation of rich flora and fauna can be majorly seen in the Shivalik ranges in the state of Punjab. Due to rich flora and fauna in the Shivalik region, it has been also termed as the zone of micro-endemic in India. The variety of angiosperms in the area includes 355 different types of herbs, trees of 70 different types; shrubs all in big and small sizes are of 70 different kinds, climbers of 19 different types can also be seen while 21 different types of twines can also be seen here. Other than angiosperms, other varieties available are 31 kinds of pteridophytes, bryophytes of 27 different kinds while a special species of gymnosperms named as Pinus Roxburghii can be seen in the ranges in state of Punjab. The fauna of the area is also rich that has birds of 396 different types, Lepidoptera is of 214 different kinds, 55 varieties of fish species can also be seen, reptiles of 20 different types are also available and mammals of 19 different kinds can be seen in these ranges. The state of Punjab is adored with large wetland area, Vegetation of Punjabnumber of bird sanctuaries that houses different varieties of numerous species of birds and a large number of zoological parks. Few of them to be named are wetland named as National wetland Hari-Ke-Pattan, the wetland of Kanjli, the wetlands of Kapurthala Sutlej, the number of wildlife sanctuaries include the Harika wildlife in district of Tarn Taran Sahib, Zoological Park in Ropar, Chhatbir Bansar Garden located in Sangrur Aam Khas Bagh situated in Sirhind, Amritsar’s famous Ram Bagh, Shalimar Garden in Kapurthala and the famous Baradari Garden in city of Patiala.

The recorded forest area of the State is 0.29 million ha which constitutes 5.76% of the geographical area. By legal status, Reserved Forest constitutes 1.52%, Protected Forest 38.16% and Unclassed Forest 63.32%. There are mainly three forest types, namely:-

  1. Tropical Dry Deciduous
  2. Subtropical Dry Evergreen
  3. Tropical Thorn Forest

 

Forests of Punjab according to Champion and Seth classification:

  1. Northern Dry Deciduous Mixed Forests: Vegetation is predominantly xerophytic with preponderance of species like Acacia catechu, A. nilotica, A. leucophloea and Anogeissus latifolia with the scrub of Carissa opaca, Grevia optiva, Adatoda vasica, etc.
  2. Dry Deciduous Scrub Forests: These are mostly found in Kandi tract with predominant species like Acacia catechu, Dalbergia sissoo, Bombax ceiba, Emblica officinalis, Lannea grandis, Toona ciliata, Cassia fistula, etc.
  3. Khair, Sissoo forests in foot hills, Bela and Mand areas:  These forests are mostly man made by planting in the foot hills of Bela and Mand areas. Mostly Khair, Sissoo and Eucalyptus hybrid have been planted in these areas. Groves of mango are found in these forests.
  4. Shivalik Chir Pine Forests: Pinus roxburghii is the main species found in these forests at an elevation of 850m and above. Associated species are Terminalia alata, Terminalia bellerica, Terminalia chebula, Anogeisus latifolia, Emblica officinalis, Cassia fistula, etc.
  5. Dry Deciduous Bamboo Forests: These forests are found in Dasua Forest Division only. The main species found in these forests is Dendrocalamus strictus. The other associates are Lannea grandis, Diospyros montana, Butea monosperma, Holoptelia integrifolia and Cassia fistula.

Major Forest Areas:-

  1. Shivalik Forest:- Comprising sub-mountainous zone and undulating land below the hills in the districts of Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Pathankot, S.B.S Nagar and Ropar. This area constitutes about 77% percent of the total forest areas in the state.
  2. Bir Forests:- In Patiala & Sangrur districts
  3. Mand Forest:- Primarily around wetlands in district Tarn Taran, Kapurthala and

Flora of Punjab:-

The flora of the Punjab is of varied character and is typical of a tract well suited for the growth of vegetation. The soil is fairly rich and deep and the spring-level is high enough for the roots to absorb adequate moisture. Moreover, there is rainfall of moderate amount and fair certainty. These favourable conditions enable trees to grow luxuriantly. Shisham (Dalbergia sissoo) and kikar (Acacia arabica) are the main timber-trees and are very much liked for their hard wood, which is used for making furniture and agricultural implements, Jaman (Eugenia jambolana) and mango (Mangifera indica) are planted in many places on account of the value of their fruit and dense shade. Pipal (Ficus religiosa) and borh (Ficus bengalensis) which are the favourate and sacred trees of the Hindus are much in evidence on wells and near shrines, both in the towns and villages. Other trees which have received special attention are some varieties of mulberry, such as shahtut (Morus alba) and tut (Morus Idevigata); ber (zizyphus jujuba); dhrek or Persian lilac (Melia azadirachta); siris (Albizzia lebbek), a quick-growing tree; and vilyati kikar (Acacia farnesiana) with fragrant flowers. A few plants of economic importance, such as sohanjana (Moringa ptergyosperma), the flowers and long pods of which are used for making pickles; kachnar (Bauhinia variegata), whose flowers have a culinary use; and lasura (Cordia muxa), the fruits of which are pickled, are found around wells and in gardens. Besides the above trees, which are cultivated for special purposes, there are many others found in parks, gardens, etc. Eucalyptus has taken to the soil very well. It was originally introduced for its strong aromatic leaves and flowers which have medicinal properties, and occupies a prominent place. Toon (Cedrela toona) is a fine large shade0tree. Simbal or silk-cotton-tree (Bombax malabaricum) is a huge tree and many have been grown in different places. Some graceful evergreen trees, like arjan (Terminalia arjuna), bahera (Terminalia belerica), sukhchain (Pongamia glabra), maulsari (Mimusop elengi) and amaltas or Indian laburnum (Cassiafistula) have also been planted in several orchards. Amritsar provides excellent conditions for intensive cultivation of various kinds of economic plants which give a handsome return from small areas. One of these is sucha gulab (Rosa damascena), the flowers of which are candied and also used for distilling ark and iter. Motia (Jasminum sambac), chambeli (Jasminum grandiflorum) and bed mushak (Salix capera) are of similar commercial value. The old arboreal vegetation of the waste places consists of jand (Prosopis spicigera), karil (Capparis aphylla), whose berries are collected for pickling, and dhak or chichara (Butea frondosa), whose flowers are used as a dye and the leaves are stitched for making doonas or containers for sweetmeats, etc. Along the Ravi and other moist places, there are found sar (Saccharum sara), kans (Saccharum spontaneum), pilchi (Tamarix diocal) and kundar (Typha angustata), which are used for making ropes, baskets, thatch and mats.

Among the grasses, baru (Sorghum hbalepense) and dab (Eragrosits cynosuroides) are very troublesome and make cultivation of the soil difficult. Grasses useful for fodder are khabbal (Cynodon dactylon) and madhana (Eleusine degyptica). Palwan (Andropogon pertusus) and chimbar (Eleusine flagellifera) which come up in profusion after rains, although of poor quality, are used by poor people for feeding cattle. The large weeds which infest uncultivated tracts are ak or milk-plant (Calotropis procera), arind (Ricinus communis), dhatura (Datura fastuosa) and thor (Opnuntia dillenii). Other noxious weeds and those which appear in crops are pohli or thistle (Carthamus oxyacantha), bhukar or piazi (Asphodelus fistulosis), shial kanta (Argemone mexicana), bhakhra (Tribulus terriestris), kandyari (Solanum xanthocarpum) and dhang (Cannabis sativa). In ponds and other large bodies of water, there are found, either in wild condition or specially grown, several aquatic plants which are useful in various ways. Sanghara or water-nut (Trapa dispinosa) is cultivated for its fruit which is roasted, and on removing the skin, the kernel, which is rich in carbohydrate, is eaten. The shoots of the kanwal or bhen (Nelumbium speciosum) are relished as a vegetable. khundar or bater (Typha angustata) grows wild on the banks of canals, rivers, ponds and lakes. Its long and thick leaves are used for making mats. The fertile soil and ample water-supply of the state provide very favourable conditions for growing fruits. The chief fruit is nashpati or pear (Pyrus communis). Other successful fruits are the peach or aru (Prunus persica), the plum or alucha (Prunus communis), and various citrus fruits such as malta (Citrus aurantium var sinensis), sangtra (Citrus surantium) and lemon (Citrus medica). Banana (Musa sapientum) was once grown largely but was discarded, as its quality was poor compared with that of the fruits from Calcutta and Bombay. Falsa (Grewia asiatica) is very remunerative for its high yield of small blue berries which are eaten or made into syrup. Loquat (Eryobotrya japonica) is also fairly common and successful. Litchi (Litchi chinensis), although not fully adapted to the climate, has been grown with special care and is yielding fruit. Mangoes (Mangifera indica) of fairly good quality are also found. The cultivation of grapes of different varieties has also been introduced.

 

 

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