Preliminary Studies on Flora of Kole Wetlands, Thrissur, Kerala

The study was conducted from November 1998 through October 2003. The Kole wetland is one of the largest and highly productive wetlands and it is also one of the most threatened wetland in the State. Etymology of "Kole" refers to the peculiar type of paddy cultivation carried out from December to May and this Malayalam word indicates bumper yield of high returns if in case floods do not damage the crops. Agriculture is the major occupation of the people of Kole wetlands and ninety per cent people were practicing agriculture mostly paddy. Total of 140 species belonging to 23 Ffamilies of Dicotyledons and 11 families of Monocotyledons and 5 water fern families were recorded from the Kole wetlands. Prominently represented family is Cyperaceae (27 genera) followed by Poaceae (25). The other dominant families are Asteraceae, Fabaceae and Hydrocharitaceae. Reclamation of land and changes in land use pattern are the most serious problems. The Kole lands are being converted to coconut, areca nut, banana plantations and other cash crops at an alarming rate. Various species of grasses and sedges comprises the floristic spectrum of Kole wetlands and have great value of ecological and economic importance.