Macrophytes in Deccan India
Macrophytes in
Deccan India
Alpana Saha
Sub-Editor
Vigyan Prasar
C-24, Qutub
Institutional Area, New Delhi
– 110016
Abstract
Macrophytes are the aquatic plants that are generally
present in the water bodies. The macrophytic plants can range from bryophytes,
pteridophytes to angiospermic plants. So, aquatic plants or macrophytes can be
found both in stagnant and in flowing water. Taking position of plants in water
macrophytes are broadly divided into four categories. The broad four categories
are: submersed plants, leaves-floating plants, free-floating plants and rooted
plants.
Submersed plants have all the portions of the plant
emerged inside the water body, for example, Hydrilla.
Leaves-floating plants have leaves floating on the
surface of the water, for example, watershield and lotus (Nymphaea).
Free-floating plants have all the parts of the plants
freely floating in the water body, for example, cattails and water hyacinths.
Rooted macrophytes are capable of extracting nutrients
from the sediments of the water body base, for example, Cyperus.
Macrophytes basically found in Deccan
water bodies are: water hyacinth, water lettuce, water cabbage, joyweed, dwarf
copperleaf, knotweeds, smooth smart weeds, annual sedge, hedgehog sedge and
water spinach.
The macrophytes present in Deccan
water belong to primitive dicots as well as most recent monocots of Cyperacae
family. Therefore, we can say that basically plants of these families are found
in the water bodies of Deccan India :
Amaranth family, Cyperaceae family, Knotweed family, Amaranthaceae family,
Araceae family and Lily family.
The method used was that the plants were collected in
the monsoon season.
The presence of large number of species in the aquatic
bodies of Deccan India
highlights the richness of vegetation in the wetlands of this area.
Introduction
Macrophytes are aquatic plants,
which grow in water bodies. They can be classified as emergent, submergent,
leaves floating or free floating macrophytes.
Emergent macrophytes are the
aquatic plants, which have all the plant parts apart from root emerging out of
the water body and lay in the air. Examples of emergent macropytes are wild
rice, Cyperus, Typha, reed and many more.
Submergent macrophytes have the
complete part of plant body inside the water body. The important examples of
submergent macrophytes are hydrilla, elodea, eelgrass and so on.
Lotus is the classical example of
leaf floating macrophytes and water lily is the example of free-floating
macrophyte.
The macrophytes present in Deccan
water belong to primitive dicots as well as most recent monocots of Cyperacae
family. Therefore, we can say that basically plants of these families are found
in the water bodies of Deccan India :
Amaranth family, Cyperaceae
family, Knotweed family, Amaranthaceae family, Araceae family and Lily family.
While studying water bodies of
Deccan Plateaus we tried to explore the existence of the species of macrophytes
available in all the water bodies.
In the water bodies of Karnataka
an existence of submerged hydrilla was most prominent. The species of hydrilla
available most was Hydrilla verticillata.
All the families and species of
macrophytes found in the Deccan Plateau are of interest as it covers a wide
variation.
Materials and Methods
The
season selected for carrying out the study was monsoon when the vegetation
proliferates extensively and study and collection of plants become easy.
Observations
Undertaking
the study of rivers, ponds and lakes of Maharashtra
species like Cyperus compressus (annual
sedge), Eichhornia crassipes (water hyacinth), Alternanthera sessilies (joyweed,
dwarf copperleaf), Amaranthus
tricolor, Pistia stratiotes (water lettuce, water cabbage) and Persicaria galbra were prominently found
(Table 1).
On
the contrary while undertaking the study of lakes of Karnataka primarily of Bangalore that are, Amballipura Lake
and Jakkur lake Hydrilla was the most prominent genus in the surrounding areas.
The macrophytes found in the lakes of Karnataka were Hydrilla verticellata, Nymphea
nelambo, Nelumbium nucifera, Cyperus rotundus, Cyperus diffuses and Pistia
stratiotes as the prominent ones (Table 2).
Apart
from the one mentioned earlier these macrophytes were also found in the water
bodies of Deccan India : Fallopia
japonica (knotweeds), Physalis subglabrata (smooth smart weeds),
hedgehog sedge and Ipomoea aquatica (water
spinach).
Results and Discussion
The
observation made reflects that the vegetations present in the Deccan India are
quite diverse and interesting to be noted and compared basically state wise to
draw up a trend or commonality in their existence.
Table
1: Existence of macrophytes in Maharashtra
water bodies
Name of plant observed
|
In
|
In
|
Cyperus compressus
|
Yes
|
-
|
Eichhornia crassipes
|
Yes
|
-
|
Alternanthera sessilies
|
Yes
|
-
|
Amaranthus tricolor
|
Yes
|
-
|
Pistia stratiotes
|
Yes
|
-
|
Persicaria galbra
|
Yes
|
-
|
Fallopia
japonica
|
-
|
Yes
|
Physalis
subglabrata
|
-
|
Yes
|
Ipomoea
aquatica
|
-
|
Yes
|
Table
2: Existence of macrophytes in Karnataka water bodies
Name of macrophytes
|
In Karnataka water bodies in prominence
|
In Karnataka water bodies in scanty numbers
|
Hydrilla verticellata
|
Yes
|
-
|
Nymphea nelambo
|
Yes
|
-
|
Nelumbium nucifera
|
Yes
|
-
|
Cyperus rotundus
|
Yes
|
-
|
Cyperus diffuses
|
Yes
|
-
|
Pistia stratiotes
|
Yes
|
-
|
Ipomoea
aquatica
|
-
|
Yes
|
Conclusion
After
studies the wetlands of two states of Deccan India , we have come to the
conclusion that there are some species that are prominent in some places and
some in the other.
Some
species of Cyperaceae family is found in one state, that is, Karnataka and some
other in the other state, that is, Maharashtra .
Some
of the common genera found equally in both the states are tabulated below
(Table 3)
Table
3: Genera of macrophytes found both in Karnataka and Maharashtra
Serial Number
|
Genus of Macrophyte
|
1
|
Cyperus
|
2
|
Pistia
|
3
|
Ipomoea
|
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