Macrophytes in Deccan India

Macrophytes in Deccan India

Alpana Saha

Sub-Editor

Vigyan Prasar

C-24, Qutub Institutional Area, New Delhi – 110016

E-mail: alpanarim@gmail.com; alpana@vigyanprasar.gov.in

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.

Keywords: aquatic, Deccan, free-floating, rooted, submersed, wetlands

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 Maharashtra water bodies in prominence	In Maharashtra water bodies in scanty numbers
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

All together, we prominently noticed 14 to 15 different kinds of macrophytes during the flowing season of monsoon when water is abundant and nutrient flow and oxygen supply surplus. There were some other species also but we did not collect then and tabulated them, as their population was low. The species mentioned in the studies are the one, which were found in abundance in the Deccan wetlands of India.

Finally, we can say the vegetative diversity in the water bodies of Deccan India is vast. The richness of vegetation and varied species of macrophytes present in the water bodies of these areas indicate that bioconservation of wetlands for species conservation of macrophytes is of great importance here.

 

References

http://water.epa.gov/type/wetlands/assessment/upload/bawwg-natmtg2001-macrophytes.pdf

Swearingen, Jil M. (7 July 2009). "PCA Alien Plant Working Group - Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)". National Park Service. Retrieved 24 September 2011.