Logo

Synopsis Kerala is a narrow strip of lush green land with a geographical area of 39,863 sq km stretching along the western coast of the Peninsular India. Part of the Western Ghats, the state mainly harbours wet, semi evergreen, moist and dry deciduous forests, sholas and grasslands. The world knew about the plants of Kerala through van Rheede's Hortus Malabaricus (1678-1693). Since then hundreds of publications have come out but there is no work which comprehensively deals with the entire flowering plants of the state. This handbook fills the gap. It provides correct name, important synonyms, habit, reference to good descriptions and illustrations, distribution in the world, the Western Ghats and Kerala, indigenous, endemic and exotic nature, conservation status, phenology, uses, Malayalam names and other important details. The work treats 4681 species, 58 subspecies and 287 varieties as occurring in Kerala. An authentic guide for all who deal with the flowering plants of Kerala, the Western Ghats, India and the tropics, this volume is structured in a precise and user friendly manner to access any single or collective information of a species with the least effort. This makes the handbook unique and anybody's first point of reference.