Rare, Endemic, Threatened (RET) Trees and Lianas in the Sacred Groves of Kanyakumari District

A thorough exploration for the rare, endemic and threatened species in the sacred groves of Kanyakumari District in Southern Western Ghats is lacking. The tropical climate and soil conditions coupled with the religious and social beliefs enabled these groves to harbour a large number of RET species, which are on the verge of extinction. Periodic botanical field studies revealed the occurrence of trees and lianas. Of these, most of them are evergreen and semi evergreen representatives. The similarity between the tropical forest of Western Ghats and sacred groves with their trees and lianas indicate that the vegetation stand as fragments of the evergreen tropical rain forest. The present study listed 36 RET species from 21 families belong to 29 genera of these 28 trees and eight lianas & climbers. Of which 28 trees from 21 genera belong to 16 families, 8 lianas & climbers from 8 genea under 8 families. Out of thirty six, 23 are endemic to Western Ghats, 3 to Peninsular India, and rest of them are endangered in southern Western Ghats and Tamil Nadu at present. These groves with such lofty and magnificent tree growths are also associated with many rare and endangered species. Lofty species are national monuments and their conservation will help to preserve these endangered species facing threats of extinction due to lack of habitats.