Professional Documents
Culture Documents
C. S. J. M. UNIVERSITY, KANPUR
FOR THE DEGREE OF
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
IN
BOTANY
By
PANKAJ KUMAR
DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY,
D.B.S. (P.G.) COLLEGE, KANPUR.
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2008
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
under the supervision of Dr. Indra Mani Semwal, Reader, Post Graduate
Principal and Dr. S.K. Srivastava, Principal, D.B.S. College, Kanpur for
facilities.
J.P. Dubey, Head, Department of Botany for their painstaking help and
operations that he had shown throughout the course of this study. Without
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Dr. H.C. Pande Senior Scientist, Botanical Survey of India, Dehradun and
In the last, I thank all those whose names do not figure here
but have helped me directly or indirectly during the course of my study and
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PANKAJ KUMAR
Research Scholar
Certificate
This is to certify that the present thesis, entitled “STUDIES ON
Mr. Pankaj Kumar, embodies the findings of his original research work
carried out under my supervision and it fulfills all the conditions prescribed
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INDEX
CHAPTER
CONTENTS PAGE NO.
NO.
1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1 - 20
2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE 21 – 31
4. OBSERVATION 34 – 63
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SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION:
most beautiful of all the non – flowering plants. It is the delicacy of their finely
divided fronds and flowing growth habit that make them so attractive. The group
holds strange fascination that increases as one knows more and more about them.
Yet, they are plants of enormous antiquity and though outdated by the angio
constituents of the carboniferous period which laid down the rich seams of coal
upon which not only the industrial revolution but the structures of modern society
were to be founded. Many of them were dominating plants forms in those early
days and evolved their often enormous finely divided leaves only to seek for the
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are almost always and everywhere met under favourable conditions of growth. The
dominance of the fern is over since long. Most part of them are now extinct and
displaced by the newly emergent group of plants. But still then they form a good
part of the cross section of any continental flora. Perhaps the antiquity and their
ability to survive through ages are the most fascinating points of the story of their
life.
cryptogams. They occupy a position in between the seed bearing and non seed
bearing plants. Ferns are distributed all over the world but majority of them are
restricted to tropical forests and usually prefer diverse range of habitat. The life
cycle of fern consists of two phases i.e. haploid non – vascular gametophyte and
dominant phase. It exhibits a great variation in form, size and structure. Nearly all
the living ferns are herbaceous except a few woody tree fern. Stem bear
called the sporangia that are invariably subtended by leaf like appendage called the
sporophylls.
The two very complex entities of nature, the organism and the
environment are inter dependent, mutually reactive and inter related. The genetic
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make up along with the extrinsic conditions control the distribution of organisms.
The gross environment of the pteridophytes is much the same as that for other
vascular plants growing in the same localities but not the microenvironment
the vicinity of water falls, forest floor and streams where they get sufficient shade,
ferns in the area, Garhwal hills are facing multiferous ecological disturbance. The
environmental decay. The damage to the ecological balance is mostly man made
or is caused by human negligence. This is evident from the loss of forest cover and
frequent landslides at hills and floods in the plains. Many of the erstwhile
abundant species have been rare and several of them are on their way to extinction.
The mountains of Indian Himalayas are very rich in the fern flora.
habitats. These plants are very important for the study of ecological aspects. The
etc. The epiphyte grow at several host ranges. The epiphytic vegetation of the area
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The epiphytes make their appearance during the rainy season when
they thickly clad the tree trunks and branches. Before the advent of winter in the
month of October, the life cycle is completed, the fronds in most of the ferns turn
primitive colonizer on land with broad spectrum of biological types, occure from
small filmy ferns to arborescent tree and from submerged aquatics to epiphytes
and xerophytes.
pteridophytes have been progressing steadily as evidence by the fact that out of
about 600 species of ferns known from Indian region, over 500 species have been
investigated. Whereas our knowledge of the floristic and ecology of this group of
plants is almost stagnant. Authors enumerating the species of various regions and
mountains do not present adequate ecological data but make only passing mention
The area lies between the latitudes 29o58' and 31o 2' 30'' N and
longitudes 77o 34' 45"and 78o 18' 30" E and bounded by the Himalayas in the north
the Shivalic hills in the south the Ganges in the east and Yamuna river in the west.
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and Chakrata. In legend and love, Dehradun formed part of the region of
Kedarkhand abode of Lord Shiva who gave his name to the Shivalic Hills.
The district is named after head quarters town Dehradun – now the
a temporary abode or camps. The term ‘dun’ or ‘doon’ means the low lands at the
foot of a mountain range and as the bulk of the district lies in such a tract, it
justifies the dun part of the name. In front of the town there is a vast expanse of a
canoe – shaped longitudinal valley called ‘Dun’ (Doon) valley. This large valley is
located between the lower Himalaya and the Shivalic hills, bounded by the river
nepalensis wall.) Common in the Himalaya foot hills. It lies in the North – western
grove (1000m) Jharipani (1050m), Lal Tibba – Nag Tibba (2400 – 2700m)
(2700m) and Kanatal to Surkanda (2206-2903m). Ghansali (976 m), Khait Parbat
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CLIMATE
tropical heat to severe cold. The monsoon starts from middle of june and stay up to
September. The annual rainfall is 20 – 150 cm. which comprises maximum in the
maximum and minimum temperature of the year being 35oC and 5.1oC
respectively. January being the coldest month, the minimum temperature falls
altitudes, the peaks remain cloudy and the sun is scarcely visible.
characteristics regarding the distribution of terrestrial and epiphytic ferns and fern
– allies of Doon valley and adjacent areas. All the non-terrestrial species,
epiphytes. A vast majority of ferns grow under temperate and subtropical, climates
in the Himalayas, whereas a few occur in the alpine and dry tropical conditions.
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Some species tend to be locally abundant and almost cover the ground lending a
rainy season (July to September). This is particularly true about the growth of
ferns and fern-allies at higher elevations, i.e. above 1500 m. because there is a
June that these plants begin their growth. Towards the beginning of August, there
is a prolific growth of ferns all around and this is particularly, true about epiphytic
Pteridium aquilinum, etc. remain green throughout the year although new fronds
are put forward only after the summer rains. At lower altitudes and in the Doon
throughout the year, but Marsilea minuta, is abundant only during rainy months
On the basis of their growth habit and habitat, the ferns of the
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ecological categories. Only the more prominent species are referred to in each case
(Scheme).
CLIMBERS
The climbing ferns are met at low altitudes (below 1000 m),
underground and is creeping, while the sensitive rachis of frond is responsible for
climbing. It twines round the neighbouring branches of the host. The lower pinnae
are larger and always sterile, whereas the upper smaller ones are fertile, perhaps
because they receive optimal photoperiod. This climbing fern is restricted to some
moisture, frequent fog and clouds than in the low lands. Also the streams and
rivulets are numerous affording ideal sites along their banks for growth. Often the
ferns grow in such great abundance that they lend a peculiar charm to the localities
of their occurrence. Majority of the species of such habitats belong to the genera
Cyclosorus.
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The forest soil of the outer low hills is poor in humus, non-acidic,
and mainly clayey and thus unsuitable for fern habitation. On favourable sites,
esculentum, are locally abundant and cover vast areas of forest floor. The well
dentatus and Pteris biaurita and Equisetum debile is often met on gravelly soil
esculentum flourishes very well. By far the largest number of species are terrestrial
growing in fields, along road sides and inside the forests. Christella Subbubesens,
very well in the forest of Gumaniwala and clementown on the forest floor,
in the open particularly the latter one which is a weedy species. At about 1,200m.
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borders of forests .
only upto 1500 m. In grass or amongst small boulders, one can look for
forming fern is luxuriant, especially, near Joshimath, enroute Auli. Its common
river in the Garhwal. Polystichum discretum and Athyriurn thelyptroides have also
seen in the same locality. From Kanatal to Dhanolti in Tehri Garhwal, Onychium
rachis. (II) budding on pinnae or pinnules are called walking ferns. These budding
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observed in the different part of the different ferns i.e. Adiantum lunulatum
axillary buds at the base of pinna – pairs) and species of Asplenium where budding
on pinnules as well as on tip of the rachis has been noticed. Such type of budding
also have been observed in Polystichum spp. Athyrium ppp., woodwardia and
Diplazium esculentum..
genera like Drynaria propinqua and D. mollis also form small basket on exposed
RAVINE FERN
The ravine soil is composed of pebbles and stones along with a little
sandy calcareous matter. Many ferns prefer to grow in the ravines along water
indica. All the lithophytic ferns preferring moist shady places grow on the rocks
by the sides of water courses. Jaberkhet Khud, Mossy Falls and Burning Ghat of
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altissimum.
There are some tough ferns which grow on exposed rocky and
gravelly slopes. They are put to a wide variation of atmospheric conditions like
high and low wind velocities, marked temperature fluctuations and varied
densities of moisture.
true thicket forming species met throughout the Garhwal Himalaya above 1500 m.
It forms huge dark green patches on exposed ridges at Kanatal to Dhanolti and
Chandrabadani in Garhwal. The rhizome is burried deep under the clayey soil and
creeps long distances, branching widely. The new fronds come up at intervals
forming a tangled mass difficult to penetrate, which does not allow anything to
desperately poor. There is no protection against the direct sun and hence the
moisture content of the plants is very easily brought down during the sunny hours.
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These factors result in xerophytic aspect of the vegetation. Such localities are
The dry boulders and rock walls at altitudes are largely inhabited by
associate is Hypodematium crenatum. With its rhizome densely covered with large
golden scales deeply burried into the crevices of rock. The Selaginella sp. which is
rolled up in the unfavourable period and again expand when the rains or
favourable season come are called "resurrection" plants. It is also sold in the hill
stations for the ornamental purpose. The dry plants became green after putting in
Cheilanthes dalhousiae are met on dry rocks. Gymnopteris vestica is always seen
in very arid conditions. The brownish silky scales on the underside of its fronds
LITHOPHYTES
stony walls and embankments of water channels. They seem to need aeration for
their roots which is not available in the forest soils. Their behaviour is, thus, much
like that of epiphytes. All the epithytes of the area occur also as lithophytes. But
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rutamuraria and A. septentrionale, are never found as epithytes. Such ferns love to
excessive transpiration.
HYDROPHYTIC FERN
thalictroides found in the area are true aquatic ferns. Marselia minuta is met
throughout the area upto 1800 m. The plants always grow along the banks of still
waters where it is anchored to the substratum with running stem which roots at
intervals. Only the cruciform green leaves are exposed to the surface of water.
generally found in the paddy fields, as floating in the swamps and ditches in Dehra
EVERGREEN FERNS
early March, a period considered to be the most unfavourable for fern growth.
During the present investigation, several species have been tolerating the severe
winter and perpetuating during the snowy period.When the snow had just melted
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in the month of March, the species showing the last year's persistent fronds in the
EPIPHYTES
zonation, association with the different host trees and their distribution on the
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