Flora and Fauna of Kerala

Plant Life

Kerala has been known through the ages as a veritable nursery of medicinal plants, plants yielding a variety of landscape and availability of plenty of water for irrigation, provided a congenial setting for the growth of a rich and diverse variety of flora in the state.
Among the major crops of Kerala are cereals and millets, pulses, fruit plants, vegetables, condiments, spices, tuber crops, oil palm and medicinal herbs. The highlands are eminently suited for planting tea, coffee and cardamom. Rubber is extensively grown at the lower elevations of highland and midland. Coffee and cardamom grow luxuriantly at altitudes from 750 to 1500 metres. Rice, the staple food of the Kerala is grown in several varieties in the midland and lowland.

Tuber Crops and Pulses
Tuber crops and pulses supplement rice, which forms the principal food. In tuber crops, the pride of place is given to tapioca. Though exotic and a native of Brazil, it was introduced into Kerala by Visakham Tirunal Maharaja of Travancore and is eminently suited to the soil and climatic conditions of Kerala. Hence it is grown abundantly in the state. Besides, sweet potato, yam, arrow root, canna and coleus are also cultivated extensively. Pulses, which are supposed to be Indian in origin are cultivated in large scale in Kerala. The chief varieties of pulses are lab-lab-bean, pigeon pea, goa bean and cluster bean. These protein-rich pulses ensure the nutrition of the people.

Fruit Plants and Vegetables
Many varieties of fruits provide subsidiary food to the people. Kerala is famous for its jack fruit, mango and cashew. Apart from these, fruit plants such as guava, banana, orange, papaya, mangosteen, pomegranate, sap-ota and pineapple are abundantly grown all over Kerala. Depending on the variations in altitude, climate and soil, the fruit plants grown differ in their species and variety from region to region.
Cashew nut is a very important article of export from Kerala. The soil of Kerala is ideally suited for chasew cultivation which is 1985-86 covered 136,717 hectares of land.

Vegetables constitute important part of the diet of the people. Large scale cultivation of vegetables include okra, cucurbits, tomato, egg plant, amaran-thus and chillies. Moringa and sesbania are other important vegetables, which constitutes regular dish in Kerala food. Coconut, gingeley, ground nut and oil palm grown widely in the state provide for edible oil.

Sugarcane is cultivated chiefly on the banks of rivers. Hybrid varieties are usually preferred in place of the wild variety.

Medicinal Plants
In Kerala, the Ayurvedic system of medicine has been popular from ancient days. A large number of medicinal plants and their properties have been identified and their use, determined. Medicinal plants that grow in Kerala include sarpagandha, vasaka, aristolochia, shatvari, Indian birthwort, glory lily, sweet flag, sar-aka, tinospora, Indian sarasaparilla, neem, ummam, periwinkle, nux-vomica, ocimum etc.

Timber Trees
Kerala forests in the Western Ghats abound in timber trees such as teak, eucaliptus, hopea, santalam, rosewood, mahogany, dysoxylon, Indian redwood tree, red cedar, coral wood and several others. 'The timber depot at Kallayi near Calicut is one of the largest of its kind in Asia and timber is one of the important export items of the state."

Spices
Kerala soil and climate are ideally suited for the cultivation of spices. The major spices of which Kerala is known all the world over, are pepper, cardamom, ginger, turmeric and clove. Pepper grows abundantly in the low moist parts of the countryside with concentration in the two districts of Cannanore and Kozhikode. "The state accounts for nearby 97% of the Indian production of pepper while Madras and Mysore share the rest." Likewise, Kerala is the most important producer of cardamom in India, which in turn is the largest producer of cardamom in the world. Cardomom grows only in the High Ranges under the shade of forest trees. The main ginger growing area in India is also Kerala. "Indian turmeric is imported by as many as sixty-four countries." In total production, however, Andhra Pradesh stands first and Kerala, only second.

Water Plants and Weeds
Kerala, because of its heavy water potential, has been ideally suited for the growth of water plants and weeds. Plenty of water lily, lotus, salvinia, hydrilla, valisneria, neptunia and alo-casia, salvinia have come to be a real threat even for cultivation. Several weeds also grow in abundance all over the state. These have virtually added to the burdens of agricultural work.

Ornamental Trees and Plants

Trees bringing forth exuberant foliage and attractive flowers of different colours and shape have made Kerala a paradise of natural beauty. Among ornamental trees, the most popular are gulmohar, tulip, coreal tree, flame of the forest and asoka, which produce scarlet or orange flowers. Trees with yellow flowers such as golden champa, Indian laburnaum, rusty shield bearer, umbrella tree, etc., are also very common. In addition, there are trees with pink or related coloured flowers such price of. India, cannon ball tree, vain tree etc. jaca-randa and queen's flower give forth blue or related colours.

Fascinating shrubs are also of several kinds and they are usually grown in gardens. Most widely cultivated among them are bougainvillea, hibiscus, ixora, lantana and mussaenda. Certain very attractive climbers are also cultivated profusely in gardens. They include glory lily, morning glory, coral creeper, purple begonia, alla-manda and rangoon creeper. In addition to annuals of several variety, roses and dahlia of manifold varieties add to the beauty of gardens and parks.

Fauna
Kerala has a variety of natural habitats. These were brought into being by the peculiar geographical features. The total area covered by forests in Kerala is only 10,81,509 hectares i.e., about 28 per cent of the total area of the state. The Ghat region is covered by evergreen and semi-green forests and the foothills by deciduous forests. One of the salient features of the fauna "is its amazing similarity to that of south-west Sri Lanka on the one hand and the Eastern Himalayas on the other."

Vertebrates

Fish
Kerala, with its long coast line and extensive inland water potential, provides excellent fishing facility. A large number of fishes both freshwater and saline are found in Kerala waters. Among fresh water fish, the most important are the carps, catfishes, mahseers, perches and murrels. Fishes such as chanos, latis, etroplus and lu-tianus caught at estuaries constitute popular fish items. The coast line abounds in fishes like sardines, mackerel, seer fish, tuna, pomfrets, flat fish, ribbon fish and sharks. Fish is regularly exported from Kerala. Industries based on fish such as manufacture of shark lever oil and poulty feed are making good progress in the state.

Amphibians
The important amphibians seen in Kerala are frogs of different variety. Some varieties of frogs constitute choicest dish in foreign countries and are in great demand. Their legs are exported on a large scale. The frogs generally are useful in controlling insect, pests and larvae.

Reptiles
Several reptiles are also found in the different parts of Kerala. One family consists of turtles living in ponds, tortoises and marine turtles. Lizards constitute another family. They include geckos living on rocks and trees, wall lizards and garden lizards. Chamaleons are interesting creatures which change their colour according to the background to which they move. The monitor lizard is also a well known lizard of Kerala.

Kerala has its share of poisonous and non-poisonous snakes both found in large numbers. Among the former, the quite common are cobra, viper, krait and sea snakes. Cobra is the most dreaded. The latter include rat snakes, predators of rats and mice.' The large Python which preys on large animals lives in forests. Besides, there are the natrix and tree snakes.

The crocodile is another animal known for its sluggish habits. It lives in the estuaries of rivers. Fish, reptiles, birds and small mammals constitute its food.

Birds and Mammals

Birds
Dr. Salim Ali has identified 400 types of birds in Kerala of which 280 are permanent residents, while 120 migrate. The Western Ghats have been the habitat of birds such as thrushes, fairy blue birds, large wood shrikes, wood peckers and great eared night jars. Widely seen common birds are the owls, kingfishers, sparrows, egrets, tailor birds, kites, eagles, vultures, falcons, honey suckers, jungle fowls, gulls, pigeons, doves, koel, myna, house crow, bulbul, robin, wag tails, etc.

Mammals
Kerala is rich in mammals also. Over 100 species including bats and rodents, have been identified, though no serious study has been made about them.

The Ghat mountains represent the abode of several mammals, never seen in any other part of the world. Nilgiri tahr, Nilgiri brown mangoose, pine marten, stripe necked mongoose, European otter, spiny mouse and Malabar civet are some of them. The civet group is supposed to be extinct today.
Several varieties of monkeys are seen in Kerala. The most common are the bonnet macacques, which frequent even in villages. The lion tailed macacques dwell in the thickets of sholas difficult to penetrate. In the Nilam-bur and Wynad forests, the Hanuman langoors are profusely found. The Nilgiri langur is mainly found in evergreen forests only.

Kerala is the habitat of several members of the cat family. Tiger is the prominent representative. Tekkadi Wild Life Sanctuary is a good asylum for it. Some other varieties of the cat family commonly seen in Kerala are the leopard cat, rusty spotted cat, jungle cat and fishing cat. Besides, among the canids, the jackal, Indian fox and wild dog are common.

In Kerala, a good deal of insecti-vores are also seen. The tree shrew, pale hedgehog, and the Indian musk shrew are a few Kerala varieties.

Kerala has a bountiful collection of rodents also. They include varieties of squirrels, rats and mice. Squirrels are of beautiful varieties such as the palm squirrel, Indian giant squirrel, grizzled giant squirrel, dusty striped squirrel, large brown flying squirrels, and smaller types found in the southern parts of Kerala. Rats and mice are a threat to crops.

In addition to the above, there are Indian porcupines, and black naped hares. Bats are a very common feature of Kerala.

Herbivores
Elephant is the largest herbivore seen in Kerala. This is a domesticated animal over centuries. The tusks of elephants have a world market. In religious festivals, elephants play a key role. Indian bison, sambhar, chital, barking deer, mouse deer and Indian wild boar are other herbivores spotted in Kerala.

Invertebrates
A good deal of invertebrates also find a permanent habitat in Kerala. 'They range from microscopic acel-lular forms to large forms with complex life histories."
Apart from marine spongy organisms, there are also fresh water animals. A good to number of worms both free living and parasitic are found in several varieties. Many earthworms and blood sucking leeches are available a-plenty.

Anthropods make up another groups of invertebrates. Prawn, crabs, lobsters and shrimps are found in abundance in water conservators. Insects which find a place among arthropods, such as honey bees, butterflies, lac insects and silk worms are a few examples. Besides these useful ones, there are also insect which cause damage. They include cockroaches, grasshoppers, locusts, bed bugs, mosquito, house fly etc. Further different types of centipedes scorpions and spiders are also seen in large numbers.

Molluscs or shelled animals are also found abundantly in Kerala. Some of them are used as food. Oysters, clams, fresh water mussels, mytilus etc. make up this group of invertebrates.