A. B. Chaudhuri

Abstract

In this article an attempt has been made to describe the principal grasses. that foresters encounter in course of their daily duties and to group them into grassland types in relation to their habitats. The Sal forests have become moister due to rigid fire-protection and consequently there has been rapid invasion of evergreen vegetation and, therefore, extensive grasslands or savannah-like formations are completely absent. It is, therefore, very difficult to classify the grasses under definite broad grassland types although an attempt has here been made to classify the most common types. Principal sedges and their habitats have also been described.

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A. B. Chaudhuri

Abstract

The distribution of the common grasses and a few sedges in the Riverain forests, Evergreen forests, Sal forests, Wet mixed forests and Dry mixed forests of the Buxa division, West Bengal and some aspects of their ecology have been noted in a broad outline. Grasslands of this division occur only in the moisture pockets and have been classified as high and low level savannahs. Evergreen species, due to fire protection, filled up the savannah areas and invaded the sal forests ousting the grasses. Extensive grasslands are therefore not found anywhere except in the Bholka range where tree forests died as a result of flood. Common grasses of the roadsides, lawns and clearings have also been noted and their habitats discussed in brief.

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A. B. Chaudhuri

Abstract

The incidence of Mikania cordata, a troublesome creeper in West Bengal is discussed and possible remedial measures are suggested.

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A. B. Chaudhuri

Abstract

An attempt has been made to give a general idea of the distribution of grasses in the tract dealt with, and to describe briefly the main grassland types.

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A. B. Chaudhuri

Abstract

A brief note on some of the numerous fungi that occur in the forests of West Benaal and outside is given. It is meant to evoke interest in foresters who frequently come across them in forests and in adjacent meadows. As a forester has to depend mainly on his naked eye, only the commonly seen forms perceptible to the naked eye have been described, as far as possible, in everyday not-too-technical terms.

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A. B. Chaudhuri

Abstract

This is a short report on the ecology and distribution of ferns that the author collected and observed mostly during the course of his inspections in the various forests of the state of West Bengal which cover very many climatological zones, viz., tropical, sUb-tropical, temprature and alpine and also very many types of rocks and soils. Common and interesting ferns occurring on alluvial tract, estuarine tract, laterite tract, terai and bhabar tracts of North Bengal, and gneiss and granite rocks and disintegrated soils have been grouped into natural habitats and altitudinal zones. Collections have been compared with sheets in various herbaria and a list of ferns prepared along with information collected from various herbaria and have finally been checked up at the national herbarium at Sihpur and at the regional herbarium at Shillong. As the ferns of the state have perhaps never been grouped into their ecological zones and natural habitats, the author feels that the article will be very helpful to the foresters of the state and North Bengal in particular. The ferns are very important and unavoidable component of ground flora of the temperate forests. They are most conspicuous among ground flora and epiphytes and form a definite association with phanerogamic flora in the forests between 5,000' and 9,000' (1500-2700m). Morphological characters, seasonal growth and production of leaves, etc. have not been studied by the author and not described in the article.

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A. B. Chaudhuri

Abstract

The Meliaceae of the Indian region are very important from the foresters point of view. Taxonomic studies on several genera were undertaken giving special attention to Aglaia, Amoora, Dysoxylum, WolJura, Chirocheton, Chukrasia, Mlelia and Azadirachta which among themselves contain more than hundred species and a check-list has been prepared. Some of the species have distinct smell to the blaze, bitter taste of the bark and leaf and distinct characteristics of bark, fruit and flower. It was found that distribution of species was mainly dependent on the rainfall and humidity and very little on rock and soil. The family has got high degree of endemism. Ceylon species and some South-Western and North-Eastern species and particularly Dysoxylum species have high degree of endemism. The study revealed that though India has land connections on all three sides the flora is high in endemics. In the Himalayas the flora has been influenced by the Japanese, Chinese, Tibetan and Malayan elements. It was found that though the Meliaceae are mainly tropical, the eastern Himalayas have several species while in the western Himalayas only one species. In the Nilgiri, Palni and Anaimalai hills no species of the Meliaceae was found above 5000'. A detailed study of the distribution and composition of the Meliaceous species in different forest types of India has been made. Analysis of the woody flora of various types of forests showed that meliaceous species form a high percentage of vegetation of both upper and middle storeys.

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A. B. Chaudhuri

Abstract

The author discusses that the study of food habit of wild life in India is new and practically no detailed information is available. He briefly outlines the scope of such study and the methods that could be adopted for study of various items of food. Evergreen forests of India have wide varieties of plant species whose different parts are edible to wild life species. The author stresses that it is a difficult job for which one should have thorough knowledge of systematics of plants and insects, but foresters definitely are best suited for such job. They only need a small laboratory. The main handicap in India will be availability of enough wild life specimen for study of stomach contents for which it is suggested that observation rather than dissection will form major part of such study in the initial stages.

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