INTRODUCTION
Plant wealth of Sringeri is an intensive research work undertaken for over a decade,
where an indepth study of the plant diversity of the holy place of Sringeri and
surrounding region was made with relevance to the occurance, utility and
distribution of the traditional use of medicinal plants and the bounty of the mother
nature. It is an attempt to bring out the finer details of the association of plants in
the serene habitats of the Western Ghat and the place of origin both materialistic
and devine knowledge spread across the lesser known people of the region.
help of Dr. T. V. Ramachandra Prasad, Sri N Dwarakanath adn Dr. Kumara Swamy is
gratefully acknowledged.
The author wishes to place on records help rendered by the research students Mrs.
K. Chandrika, Mrs. V.C. Kirana, Miss. Kalpana Reddy, Mr. M.V. Srinivassulu and Mr. N
Pradeep in various stages of preparation of the manuscript. The help rendered by
Mr. G. Nagaraja, Miss. Kalpana Reddy , Mr.Naarasimhaiah, Mr. Pape Gowda and Mr.
Thimme Gowda during the field study is dully acknowledged.
BALAKRISHNA GOWDA
CONTENTS
Introduction
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Illustrations
The floristic survey has been carried out in the taluk as a part of the sudy conducted
by plant explorers while making the collections for Western
Ghats and
Chikmangalur district by Yoganarasimhan et al(1981,1984), Radhakrishna Rao et
al(1985), Radhakrishna Rao and yoganarasimhan (1987) Balakrishna Gowda and
Gurudeva(1988) . There is no detailed study of this taluk and hence a study was
initiated during 1981 and continued up yo 1984 and later during 1990 to 1993.
Presently the area was revisited and updated during 1990-2002.
PHYSIOGRAPHY
Sringeri has well defined physiographic regions. It is surrounded by many hills, the
elevation ranges about 600-900m. The Notyh-East flowing river arises in the
mountains range immediately to the West of this belt. They have carved their way
through the mountains and the laetrile hills. The prominent rives in Sringeri is
Thunga and streams like Koriege hole and Begar halla amoung the other minor
streams and rivulets.
Immediately to the east of the coastal strio, the mountain range, the Western Ghats,
rises sharply to form an unbroken though uneven rampart averaging an altitude of
900 m. Deep valleys and precipitous or rounded peaks rising to over 1,500m make
up this rugged country. Kudremukh, the highest peakm is 1,827m high. This range
abuts Sringeri taluk on the western side.
The ridges of the ghat, forms the divide of the watershed. As a contrast to
western,windward face of the range, the easter, leeward face has rolling hills and
shallow valleys with a mean elevation of about 800m.
GEOLOGY
Vegetation is dependent on soil and on geological formations. Geological formations
of the Sringeri are placed under an Archaean Complex made up of Dharwar Schists
and granitic gneisses.
The iron ore mining in Kudremukh, adjoining the taluk is on a massive scale with
impact on the vegetation and the rivers.
SOIL
There are five soil types found in Karnataka. Among the five types, laterictic and red
loams are foung in Sringeri.
Laterictic soil is acidic with pH between 5 and 6. It is low in bases due to excessive
leaching. In the Western ghats the laterictic soils when under a forest canopy have a
cover of rich humus with high organic matter and water regulating characteristics.
BOICLIMATE
There are five bioclimatic types in Karnataka which corresponds to the five
physiographic regions of the state. The bioclimates are the results of 3 main factors:
a) temperature and its variations based mostly on altitude, b) amount of seasonal
precipitation, c) duration of annual dry season and its correlation with intensity of
solar radiation during long and short days.
Sringeri and its part receive rainfall from South West Monsoon and North East
Monsoons. The average annual rainfall is around 3000mm. The rainfall is
considerably very high because an attenuated form of this bioclimate is found
towards the ridge of the Western ghats at altitude of 600-900m. The ghats acting as
a rampart against the relentless onslaught of the S.W.Monsoon cause heavy
precipitation. Agumbe(Near to Sringeri) in Shimoga District is the wettest place in
the state with an average rainfall of 8270mm. The rainfall on the leeward side of the
ridge diminishes rapidly.
The Maximum temperature reaches 36 C during summer and minimum around 12C
during winter. There is also appreciable drop in temperaturew in the ghats.
VEGETATION
The vegetation of Karnataka is product of different lines of plant
differentiation,migration,isolation and even evolution conditioned by topography,
soil and bioclimate. Biotic influences, especially human, hve modified the
vegetation in varying degrees in the greater part of the state.
A comprehensive view of the angiosperm vegetation types of Karnataka has been
presented by several phytogeographers like J.D.Hooker, D. Chattterjee, C.B.Clarke,
Prain and others.
A classification of the forest types of India based on climatic considerations was
presented by H.G. Champion in 1936. Further refinements in the analysis of these
types were given by Champion and Seth in 1968. They placed Karnataka forests in
3 main categories, each with several subdividions and edaphic or seral variations.
hairy;corolla 2cm long, pink with dark purple-red blotches on lower lip. Capsules
2cm long, seeds 8-12.
Distribution: Frequent in forests as undergrowth.
Fl. & Fr.: October-December.
Asystasia gangetica(L.) T. Anderson
(Syn: Asystasia coromendelianum Wight ex. Nees) [3]
Erect or straggling herbs. Leaves opposite, simple broadly ovate. Inflorescence a
terminal or axillary lax ravemes. Calyx lobled to the base; corolla tubular, up to 3.5
cm long, white or yellow or blue-purple; stamens 4, didyanamous, perfect; ovary 2
celled. Capsule up to 3 cm long.
Distribution: Africa to Middle East to Indomalaysia; As undergrowth near streams
and evergreen forests.
Fl.: All seasons
Prostrate herbs with ascending hairy branches. Leaf blade 3-7 x 2-3 cm, ovatelanceolate , acute to acuminate,crenulate, hairy. Flower solitary, bracteles 8, third
pair membranous tridentate, 4th spatulate. Outer calyx lobes 2-2.2cm long, oblongsoactulate, acute; corolla to 1.8cm, purple; stamens 4, anthers 1 celled, bearded
along margin. Capsule 2-4 locular, with compressed,hairy 1-2 seeds per locule.
Distribution: Western India.
Fl. & Fr.: December-January
Medicinal Properties & Uses: Roots and leaves stimulant, emetic, cathartic,
expectorant, diaphoretic used for dysentery, asthma, bronchitis and rheumatism.