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FLORA AND VEGETATION OF ANDHRA PRADESH

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 FLORA AND VEGETATION OF ANDHRA PRADESH
B. Ravi Prasad Rao, M. Sridhar Reddy & T.Pullaiah
Department of Botany, Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Anantapur 515 003.

ABSTRACT

Andhra Pradesh state comprises of mainly four vegetation types, the forest, along
the coast, in aquatic zones and waste lands and weed vegetation. They constitute a total
of 2601 plant species belonging to 1035 genera and 173 families. A total of 19 Rare,
Endangered and Threatened plants are encountered in this region. Many plants that are
endemic to peninsular India and some exclusive endemics are edaphically and
climatically adapted to different ecological zones of this region.

Introduction
Andhra Pradesh the fifth largest state in the Indian Union. The state lies between
the latitudes 120 37’ N and 190 54’ N and longitudes 760 46’ E and 840 46’ in southern
part of India. The total area of the state is 2, 75,068 km2. Topographically 35% of the
state area lies below 150m altitude forming coastal plains; about 15% area lies between
150-300m; 37% area between 300-600m; 10% area between 600-900m and the
remaining area lies above 900m altitude. The state has a long coastline of 968 Km.

The state comprises twenty three districts which are grouped into three distinct
regions, Rayalaseema, Telangana and Coastal Andhra Pradesh. Geographically the
state can be divided into coastal plains (Srikakulam to Nellore districts), Eastern Ghats
running parallel to east coast and Western pene-plains (covering Kurnool plains, most
parts of Anantapur district and Telangana districts). About 64,000 Km2 of the total
geographical area is under forests and 50% of it covered in Eastern Ghats.

The state has monsoon type of tropical climate. The mean annual temperature in
summer varies between 200C to 410 C and in winter ranging from 130C to 320 C. Average
annual rainfall is around 940mm. The major types of soils in the state are red, black,
deltaic alluvial and coastal alluvial. Important rivers in the state are Godavari, Krishna
and Pennar and Tungabhadra.

In addition to the past studies on flora of Andhra Pradesh region such as Elliot
(1859), Patridge (1911), Gamble & Fischer (1921-35), Lushington (1915), Khan (1953)
the plant inventory work at district levels as done in Srikakulam (Rao & Sreeramulu,
1986), Vizianagaram (Venkaiah, 1980), Visakhapatnam (Subba Rao, 1991), East
Godavari (Rao, et al., 1999), West Godavari (Rao et al., 1987), Krishna
(Lakshminarayana et al., 1997), Guntur (Pullaiah, et al., 2000), Prakasam (Krishna
Mohan, 1987), Nellore (Suryanarayana & Rao, 2001), Adilabad (Pullaiah, et al., 1992),
Nizamabad ( Pullaiah & Rao, 1995), Medak (Pullaiah, et al., 1998), Ranga Reddy
(Pullaiah & Silar Mohammad, 1998), Nalgonda (Rao, et al., 2001), Mahaboobnagar
(Raghava Rao, 1989), Kurnool (Raju & Pullaiah, 1995), Kadapa (Madhusudhana Rao,
1989), Anantapur (Pullaiah & Yesoda, 1989) and Chittoor (Rangacharyulu, 1991) has
provided an comprehensive information on flora and vegetation types of Andhra
Pradesh which was well documented in Flora of Andhra Pradesh (Pullaiah & Chennaiah,
1997; Pullaiah & Moulali, 1997; Pullaiah et al., 1997; Pullaiah & Babu, 1998; Pullaiah &
Karuppusamy, 2007). V.S. Raju and his team extensively worked on different parts of
Telangana region including many new distributional records (Raju, 1984; Raju, 1986;
Reddy & Raju 2005). While the works on specific regions like Nallamalais (Ellis, 1987;
Ellis, 1990), Eastern Ghats (Rawat, 1997), Tirumala (Rao, et al., 1981), Sriharikota
island (Suryanarayana, 1998), Sacred groves (Rao, 1996; Jayaprada, 1998; Sunitha,
2002) on specific life forms like trees (Pullaiah & Sandhya Rani, 1999), grasses
(Prasanna, 1988; Reddy, 2002; Narahari Prasad, 2006), Pteridophytes (Pullaiah et al.,
2003), weeds (Chandra Singh & Rao, 1973), Agrestals (Rajeswaramma, 2001;
Lakshmaiah, 2006), Ethno botany (Rama Rao & Henry, 1996) and on medicinal plants
(Thammanna & Rao, 1990; Jadhav & Reddy, 2003) has justifiably complimented the
information on floral resources of Andhra Pradesh.

FLORISTIC WEALTH OF ANDHRA PRADESH

Andhra Pradesh state constitutes a total of 2601 species belonging to 1035
genera and 173 families of Angiosperms (Pullaiah & Karuppusamy, 2007), 4 species of
gymnosperms and 72 species of Pteridophytes. Exact information on bryophytes and
algae is lacking. Of the 2601 angiosperms 531 are tree taxa representing 502 tree
species, 245 shrubs, 1564 herbs and 290 climbers. Of these dicotyledons comprise 1927
species and monocots 674 species. The ratio of monocot to dicot families is 1:4 (34: 139
families).
The ten dominant angiosperm families are Fabaceae with 299 species followed
by Poaceae (281 species), Cyperaceae (139), Euphorbiaceae (126), Acanthaceae (108),
Asteraceae (105), Rubiaceae (88), Orchidaceae (69), Lamiaceae (65) and
Convolvulaceae with 61 species. The ten dominant angiosperm genera in the state are
Crotalaria with 44 species followed by Cyperus with 33 species, Euphorbia with 30
species, Ipomoea with 24 species, Indigofera with 24 species, Fimbristylis with 23
species, Ficus with 22 species, Cassia with 22 species, Leucas with 20 species and
Grewia with 18 species.
 The state although dominated by tropical flora, also favored the development of
subtropical and temperate species especially in the Eastern Ghats, which harbors mainly
dry deciduous, scrub and patches of moist deciduous and semi-evergreen forests
(Champion & Seth, 1968). Several Himalayan species are also known to encounter in
the state forests including Saussurea heteromalla, Bulbophyllum cariniflorum, Dillenia
aurea, Raphidophora decursiva, Arundinellla benghalensis. Further, some species of
angiosperms encountered in the state are interesting owing to their distribution pattern
and threatened ness (Table 1.)

ENDEMIC PLANTS OF ANDHRA PRADESH

A plant taxon restricted to a particular area is called as endemic taxon and this
phenomenon is known as endemism. Endemism can be observed at different levels:
state, country, continent etc. Presence of endemic species in any area is significant in
the context of floristic richness of that area and it is an important aspect in the
conservation of biodiversity. A total of 19 Rare, Endangered and Threatened plants
occur in this region (Nayar & Sastry, 1991) (Table 2). The two regions of Andhra
Pradesh namely, Kadapa-Tirupati-Nallamalai hills and Vizagapatnam hills are
considered as hot spots of endemic plants (Nayar, 1996) and it is notable that more than
150 plants that are endemic to either India or peninsular India occur in this region (Table
3). Of them at least 15 plants that are edaphically and climatically adapted to different
ecological zones are exclusive to the region.

VEGETATION TYPES OF ANDHRA PRADESH

The vegetation of the state can be classified into the following four major types.
1. Forest vegetation
2. Coastal vegetation
3. Aquatic vegetation
4. Vegetation of wastelands and cultivated fields

FOREST VEGETATION
Forests of Andhra Pradesh
According to Forest Survey of India ‘State of forest report’ (2001), the total forest
cover in the state is 44,637 Km2 (excluding scrub), which accounts 16.23% of the total
geographical area (Fig.1). The scrub covers an area of 9907 Km2. Most of the forest area
in the State is reserved and is found over the hilly areas, valleys, river valley sides. Over
50% of the forest area is in the Eastern Ghat area.
 The study of district-wise forest area (excluding scrub) shows that Khammam
district is with highest concentration of forests cover i.e. 44.8% of the total geographical
area followed by Adilabad district with 37.5%, East Godavari district with 32.5%,
Visakhapatnam district with 29.9%, Warangal district 25.1% and Kadapa district with
21.8%. Low concentrations of forest cover is found in Nalgonda district (1. 36%) followed
by Anantapur district (2.67%).

The State of Andhra Pradesh receives handsome revenue from its forest wealth.
Major forest products of the State are timber, especially teakwood, sandal wood, Rose
wood, red sanders, fuel wood, charcoal; bamboo and beedi leaf. Bamboo and beedi leaf
contribute more than 80% of the total revenue. The forests of state over the years are
subjected to heavy biotic interference, illicit cutting of trees, mining and unsustainable
harvesting of resources.

Forest (vegetation) types of Andhra Pradesh

The types of vegetation in any area are determined by climatic, edaphic and
biotic factors coupled with altitude. The wide variations in climate and topography of the
State have resulted in various types of forest growth. Champion & Seth (1968) classified
the Indian forests into 16 types. Based on this classification, the forest types can be
categorized into 6 types. Since these forests fall in the tropical zone, all the names are
preceded by the word ‘tropical’.

1. Tropical semi-evergreen forests

2. Tropical moist deciduous forests
3. Tropical dry deciduous forests
4. Tropical dry Savannah forests
5. Tropical dry evergreen forests
6. Tropical scrub forests
Tropical semi-evergreen forests
These are moist deciduous forests mixed with evergreen elements distributed at
an altitude of around 800m and are found in Visakhapatnam district (Gudem, Sapparla,
Galikonda and Minumuluru area) ; Vizayanagaram district (Sithampeta) ; Srikakulam
district (Palakonda , Pathapatnam); East Godavari district (Nukalamiddi, Maredumilli,
Rampa Forest).
Top storey comprises deciduous species like Michelia champaca Dillenia
pentagyna and second storey comprises evergreen elements like Psychortia fulva, Leea
crispa. The associated evergreen species include Diospyros malabarica, Diospyros
sylvatica, Syzygium cumini, Persea macrantha, Garcinia xanthochymus. The common
climbers in these forests are Bauhinia vahlii and Smilax zeylanica.
It is observed that in area where rainfall is sufficient for the growth of more
tolerant evergreen species, such forest pockets occurred naturally on suitable soils.

Tropical moist deciduous forests

In addition to annual rainfall, the extent of dry period will also play an important
role in the floristic assemblage of deciduous forests. These are typical deciduous forest
with high annual rainfall of over 1000mm and with a dry period of March-April. These are
of three types.

Northern Tropical Moist Deciduous Sal forests

This type of forests found only in Srikakulam district. The forests are dominated
by sal, Shorea robusta which represents the southern limit of this species. Top canopy
comprises Anogeissus latifolia, Haldinia cordifolia, Terminalia alata, Syzygium cumini.
The lower canopy is with shrubby species like Woodfordia fruiticosa, Cycas circinalis and
Helicteres isora. The ground is covered with herbs like Desmodium pulchellum along
with grass species like Apluda muitica, Arundo donax and Imperata cylindrica.

Southern Tropical Moist Deciduous Forests

These are found in the districts of Vizayanagaram (Punyagiri area),
Visakhapatnam (Gudem), East Godavari (Rampa), West Godavari (Polavaram), Kurnool
(Gundlabrahmeswaram), Mahaboobnagar (Appapur) and Chittoor (Talakona area). This
forest is of predominant in well developed soils with a rainfall of 600-1000mm and an
altitudinal range of >500m. These forest with more or less pure associations occur as
patches along the dry deciduous forests
 The top canopy of these forests are dominated by species like Terminalia alata,
Xylia xylocarpa, Haldinia cordifolia, Mangifera indica, Madhuca indica, Anogeissus
latifolia, Pterocarpus marsupium, Oroxylum indicum, Shorea roxburghii, Shorea
tumbaggaia, Syzygium alternifolium, Dalbergia latifolia and Sterculia urens. The middle
canopy comprises species like Grewia tilifolia, Litsea deccanensis, Litsea glutinosa,
Gmelina arborea, Glochidion zeylanicum, Holarrhena pubescens, Mallotus philippensis
along with bamboo species, Dendrocalamus strictus and Bambusa arundinacea. The
lower canopy is seen with species like Cycas beddomei, Memecylon umbellatum,
Pleurostylia opposita, Gardenia gummifera, Nyctanthus arbor-tristis. Lianas such as
Gnetum ula, Bauhinia vahlii, Aspidopterys indica, Entada purseatha are conspicuous in
the structural diversity of these forests. The herbaceous ground flora is mixed with tall
grass species such as Apluda mutica, Pimpinella tirupatiensis, Stemona tuberosa, Piper
trioicum, and ferns like Cyathea gigantea, Nephrolepis cordifolia, Angiopteris evecta.

Southern Tropical Moist Deciduous Riparian Forests

These are common along riverbanks especially along Godavari. These forests
are commonly seen with semi evergreen species like Terminalia arjuna, Ficus racemosa
and Syzygium cumini. The dominant grass in this vegetation type is Saccharum
spontaneum.

Tropical dry deciduous forests

These forests are common throughout the state. The forests are characterized by
leaf-fall by most of the tree species during summer season. Further morphological
features characteristic of seasonal stress like coriaceous foliage, compound leaves,
extreme pubescens and thorns are conspicuously observed in these forests. Shrubs
and grasses grow as undergrowth in a limited density in frequent forest fires. Bamboos
are also found. These are further classified into teak, non-teak and mixed deciduous
types.

Dry deciduous Teak forests

These are distributed mostly in Eastern Ghats of Visakhapatnam, East Godavari,
West Godavari, Khammam and Kurnool districts and Adilabad, Nizamabad, Warangal,
Khammam districts in Telangana. Among abiotic factors such as climate, rainfall, altitude
and soil features, the edaphic factors like soil depth, soil texture, water holding capacity,
drainage pattern seems to significantly influence the species composition in these
forests.
 The teak, Tectona grandis is the dominant species associated with Anogeissus
latifolia, Boswellia serrata, Chloroxylon swietenia, Lannea coromandelica, Haldenia
cordifolia etc. Common shrub species are Chomelia asiatica and Erythroxylum
monogynum. The ground layer is covered herbs like Desmodium gangeticum, Curcuma
pseudomontana. Small bamboo, Dendrocalamus strictus is common. Alloteropsis
cimicina is a common grass. Cassytha filiformis, Dendropthoe falcata are common
parasites and Vanda tesellata is a common epiphyte.

Dry deciduous non-Teak forests

These forests are found in the districts of Rayalaseema, Telangana and Nellore.
Teak is absent in these forests. Dry deciduous forests constitute of trees of 10-20m
height with 40-60% of canopy cover. Dominant tree associations such as Terminalia –
Anogeissus-Chloroxylon; Hardwickia-Chloroxylon; Albizia amara-Memecylon are unique
to this forest type. These forests are dominated by Pterocarpus santalinus, Anogeissus
latifolia, Givotia moluccana, Hardwickia binata, Chloroxylon swietenia, Cochlospermum
religiosum, Shorea tumbaggaia in southern Eastern Ghats; Gyrocarpus americanus in
Anantapur district; Boswellia ovalifoliolata, Cycas beddomei in Tirumala hills. In the
middle storey trees such as Gardenia gummifera, Croton scabiosus, Wrightia tinctoria,
Eriolaena hookeraiana are common and in lower storey Grewia damine, Bridelia
montana, Ixora arborea, Chomelia asiatica are more common. Climbers such as Olax
scandens, Celastrus paniculatus, Rivea hypocrateriformis, Marsdenia tenasissima form a
significant component in the plant diversity in these forests. The common grass found in
these forests is Cymbopogon coloratus, Heteropogon contortus, Sehima nervosum etc.

Mixed dry deciduous forests

These are more common in drier localities in Rayalaseema and Telangana
districts like Nalgonda. In these forests a mixed type of vegetation is seen. The common
trees are Albizia amara, Albizia odorotissima, Cassia fistula, Hardwickia binata and
Pterocarpus marsupium. Phoenix loureirii and Chloroxylon swietenia are also common
throughout the terrain. On hill slopes, Boswellia serrata and Givotia moluccana are seen.
Common climbers are Decalepis hamiltonii, Gymnema sylvestre. The common grasses
encountered in these forests are Aristida funiculata and Cymbopogon coloratus.
Common parasite is Dendropthoe falcata and Vanda tessellata is a common epiphyte.

Dry savannah forests

 These forests, formed as a result of intense biotic interference, are scattered
throughout the Eastern Ghats area and are dominated by grasses with isolated tree
growth. The stunted trees found are Phyllanthus emblica, Phoenix humilis, Butea
monosperma. The common grasses found in these forests are Themeda triandra,
Cymbopogon flexuosus, and Setaria pumila.

Dry evergreen forests

This type of forest occurs in coastal and plains areas with a rainfall of
about 600 mm and below at an altitude of less than 250m. The soils are with less
organic matter and impoverished. This type of forest occur in places like Poolbagh of
Vijayanagaram district, Madugula range of Visakhapatnam, Tekkali and Pathapatnam of
Srikakulam, Sriharikota island in Nellore district and Mamandur valley in Chittoor district.
Sriharikota Island is located in southern most part of Nellore district adjoining the Pulicat
Lake. The island and its surroundings support dry evergreen vegetation.

The common species found in these forests are Manilkara hexandra, Albizia amara,
Sapindus emarginatus, Garcinia spicata, Atalantia monophylla and Memecylon
umbellatum, Strychnos nux-vomica. Climbers such as Reissantia indica, Strychnos
minor, Salacia chinensis, Pyrenacantha volubilis, and Derris scandens form an important
component of plant diversity.

Thorny scrub forests

These are degraded deciduous forests due to biotic interference, over
exploitation, and frequent fires and are widely distributed in arid and semiarid parts of
Eastern Ghats especially in forest peripheries. Balanitis aegyptica, Capparis zeylanica,
Cadaba fruiticosa, Ziziphus mauritiania, Cassia auriculata, Annona squamosa,
Euphorbia antiquorum, Dodonaea viscosa, Dichrostachys cinerea are commonly found
in these forests. Aristida adscensionis and Heteropogon contortus are common grasses.

COASTAL VEGEATATION
The coastal area of the Andhra Pradesh is stretched about 968 kms from Pulicat
lake of Nellore district in the south to Icchapuram of Srikakulam district in the north. The
vegetation of coastal Andhra Pradesh is classified into two types: strand and estuarine
vegetation.

Strand vegetation
 The strand vegetation is characterized with open, mat forming pioneer species
followed by scattered herbs, shrubs and trees dispersed along the relief beyond the high
tide limit or the backshore region. This can be further classified into two types’ viz., sand
strand, and rock strand.

(a) Sand strand:

The sand strand vegetation along the sandy beaches exhibits zonations
distinguishable into several zones.

The open pioneer zone: vegetation is rather sparse with a few plants like Gisekia
pharnaceoides, Ipomoea pes-caprae, Spinifex littoreus, and Tribulus terrestris.

Closed herbaceous zone: vegetation comprises of some mat-forming herbaceous

plants like Alternanthera pungens, Boerhavia diffusa, Chloris barbata, Ipomoea pes-
caprae and Phyla nodiflora.

Bushy zone: both herbaceous plants and some sub-shrubby or bushy plants are
seen in this zone. The common species found in this zone are Borreria articularis,
Allmania nodiflora, Tephrosia purpurea, Opuntia stricta and Calotropis procera and
Carissa spinarum.

Inner woodland zone: the zone is dominated by tree species like Borassus flabellifer
Prosopis cineraria, Cocos nucifera and Thespesia populnea. Dense groves of
Pandanus fascicularis are also seen.

(b) Rock strand:

This particular type of habitat is much limited to small strips at Waltair and
Poodimadaka, in the whole of Andhra Pradesh coast. The vegetation is mostly a mixture
of coastal and inland plants, and occurs in the following zones.

Exposed rocky low lying reefs: This zone, subjected to regular sea water inundation is
seen exposed only during low tide and supports a rich growth of marine algae
belonging to species of Padina, Sargassum, Enteromorpha, Caulerpa and Ulva.

Rocky relief: Mostly with exposed laterite and rocky boulders with thin mantle of sand in
crevices or weathered surfaces. Euphorbia thymifolia, and Tridax procumbens are
common.

Inland gravelly/rocky habitat: The dominant shrubby plants in this zone are Carissa
spinarum, Ziziphus oenoplia, Barleria prionitis and Euphorbia tirucalli etc. The com-
mon herbaceous plants are Pavonia zeylanica (Malvaceae) and Acalypha indica.
Estuarine vegetation (Mangroves)

Estuary is the area where river meets the sea. The area will have a high
freshwater drainage and with marked fluctuations in salinity. Estuaries are breeding
grounds for sea animals and support rich mangrove vegetation. Mangroves are salt-
tolerant forest ecosystems generally called as littoral forests comprise halophytes. The
mangrove vegetation which develops along muddy tidal banks is primarily restricted to
the Godavari and Krishna estuarine systems in Andhra Pradesh.

In the Coringa (Godavari estuarine system) on the newly formed silt deposits in
the intertidal region, the grass, Porteresia coarctata grows as a pioneer species. Further
interior Avicennia officinalis and Sonneratia apetala dominate, which attain over 6m
height. Along the sheltered banks of the side creeks near the estuarine mouth, well
grown trees of Rhizophora apiculata, Rhizophora mucronata and Bruguiera gymnorrhiza
are commonly seen.

Behind the estuarine mouth, under the influence of more fresh water influx,
Excoecaria agallocha, Lumnitzera racemosa, Sonneratia apetala and Avicennia
officinalis are grown prominent. These trees are overgrown by prickly climbers like
Caesalpinia crista forming dense impenetrable thickets. Clerodendrum inerme, Acanthus
ilicifolius and Cyperus rotundus mostly grow along the water margins.

AQUATIC VEGETATION

The State of Andhra Pradesh is quite rich in streams, ponds, ditches and rivers,
which harbor a large number of hydrophytes. These hydrophytes can be classified as
floating hydrophytes, submerged hydrophytes, emergent hydrophytes and wetland
hydrophytes.

Floating hydrophytes

There are three types classified on basis of the relationship between the plant and
the substratum. They are

(a) Free floating on the surface of water-In this type the plants have no contact with
the soil. They float freely on the surface of water and are in contact with air and water.
e.g.: Eichhornia crassipes, Lemna perpusilla, Pistia stratiotes and Spirodela polyrhiza.

(b) Attached hydrophytes with floating shoots-These plants are attached to the
muddy floor by their roots, but their shoots come out and float on the surface of water.
e.g.: Ipomoea aquatica, Ludwigia adscendens and Neptunia oleracea.
 (c) Attached hydrophytes with floating leaves-The plants are attached to the
substratum and their stems or rhizomes remain under water in contact with soil and
water while their leaves float on the surface of the water. E.g.: Aponogeton natans,
Nelumbo nucifera, Nymphaea nouchali and Ottelia alismoides

Submerged hydrophytes

These plants always remain under water surface and are grouped into two
categories, suspended submerged hydrophytes and attached submerged hydrophytes.

(a) Suspended submerged hydrophytes: These plants remain submerged in

water but have no contact with the soil. Their flowers may or may not come above the
water level. e.g.: Utricularia aurea, Ceratophyllum demersum.

(b) Attached submerged hydrophytes: These plants remain in contact with soil and
water, their vegetative portion remains completely submerged in water, while the flowers
may come out of water surface. e.g.: Hydrilla verticillata, Najas graminea, Potamogeton
crispus and Vallisneria natans.

Emergent hydrophytes

Plants which are attached to soil covered with water but most of their vegetative
parts come out of water surface are called as emergent hydrophytes. e.g.: Ammannia
baccifera, Bacopa monnieri, Echinochloa colona, Limnophila indica, Polygonum
barbatum, Phragmites karka and Typha angustata.

Wetland hydrophytes or marshy plants

The plants are rooted to the soil saturated with water, which may also survive in
dried conditions too in the later part of their life cycle. Marshy plants are those which
flourish on moist swampy grounds. Marshes may be of fresh water or saline near sea. A
large number of species are found in fresh water marshy habitats found along the banks
of fresh water bodies. e.g.: Phyla nodiflora, Alternanthera sessilis, Commelina
benghalensis and Eclipta prostrata.

VEGETATION OF WASTELANDS AND CULTIVATED FIELDS

Vast tracts of wastelands in the state and cultivated fields support the growth of
weed vegetation. This includes weeds growing on roadsides, waste places and human
habitations. Large numbers of weeds are exotics, the foreign plants that have been
introduced into the country by various means and become naturalized. Most of the
herbaceous weeds are common to both wastelands and cultivated fields.
Wasteland vegetation
Prosopis chilensis is gregarious covering vast tracts of wastelands throughout the
state and form pure patches. Other trees found along roadsides and village wastelands
are Acacia nilotica, Annona squamosa, Syzygium cumini, Tamarindus indica. Ipomoea
carnea ssp. fistulosa is predominant shrubby weed of wastelands in the state found
along roadsides and tank beds. Other shrubs found in wastelands are Calotropis
procera, Cassia auriculata, Cassia occidentalis, Cassia tora and Opuntia stricta.

Weed vegetation of cultivated fields

Chenopodium album, Cyperus rotundus, Eclipta prostrata, Echinochloa colona,

Paspalum scrobiculatum are common weeds of irrigated fields. Argemone mexicana,
Celosia argentea, Corchorus trilocularis, Cynodon dactylon, Euphorbia hirta, Leucas
aspera, Phyllanthus amarus, Sida acuta, Sphaeranthus indicus are common weeds of
dry fields. Other weeds commonly encountered in cultivated fields are Cardiospermum
halicacabum, Catharanthus pusillus, Cleome viscosa, Melochia corchorifolia and Striga
asiatica.

SUMMARY
A total of 2601 species belonging to 1035 genera and 173 families of
Angiosperms, 72 species of pteridophytes and 3 gymnosperms are recorded from the
state. The most dominant family is Fabaceae with 299 species. The most dominant
genus is Crotalaria (Fabaceae) with 44 species. Several subtropical and temperate
species are reported from the sate. Several plants are endemic to peninsular India are
recorded from the state. The vegetation of the state can be classified into four major
types, i.e., forest, coastal, aquatic vegetation and vegetation of wastelands and
cultivated fields. About 21% of the area of the state is under forest cover. Khammam
district is with highest concentration of forests cover while Nalgonda district has the least.
There are 6 types of forests in the state: tropical semi-evergreen, tropical moist
deciduous, tropical dry deciduous, tropical dry savannah, tropical dry evergreen and
tropical scrub forests. Tropical moist deciduous forests are further classified into northern
sal forests, southern proper and southern riparian Forests. Tropical dry deciduous
forests are further classified into dry deciduous teak, non-teak and mixed dry deciduous
forests.
 The vegetation of coastal Andhra Pradesh is classified into two types: strand and
estuarine vegetation. There is further zonation in strand vegetation. Estuaries support
rich mangrove vegetation. Mangroves are salt-tolerant forest ecosystems comprise
halophytes. Godavari and Krishna estuarine systems in Andhra Pradesh are significant.
Aquatic vegetation in the state comprises floating, submerged, emergent and wetland
hydrophytes. Widely spread wastelands and cultivated fields in the state harbour large
number of weed species.

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Table 1. List of plants that are botanically interesting owing to their distribution and
threatened ness
S.No Species Name Habit Distribution
1 Vanilla wightiana Climing shrub East Godavari
(Orchidaceaea)
2 Parahyparrhenia bellariensis Perennial herb Gooty hills of
(Poaceae) Anantapur
3 Iseilema venkateswarlui Annual herb Lam farm in Guntur
(Poaceae) district
4 Dimorphocalyx kurnoolensis Small tree Owk forest, Kurnool
(Euphorbiaceae) district
5 Oianthus disciflorus Climbing shrub Kurnool district
(Asclepiadaceae)
6 Hildegardia populifolia Deciduous tree Hills of Anantapur,
(Sterculiaceae) Cuddapah and
Chittoor
7 Cyathea gigantean Tree fern Visakapatnam and
(Cyatheaceae, Gymnosperm) Godavari districts
8 Equisteum ramosisiumum Rhizomatous Visakapatnam and
(Equisetaceae, Pteridophyte) herbaceous Kurnool district
pteridophytes
9 Psilotum nudum Rhizomatous herb Visakapatnam, East
(Psilotaceae, Pteridophyte) Godavari and
Tirumala hills.
10 Gnetum ula Climber East Godavari and
(Gnetaceae, Gymnosperm) Visakapatnam
Table 2. List of Rare Endangered and Threatened plants that occur in Andhra Pradesh
Species Name Status Area
1 Acacia campbellii Rare Nallamalais & Kadapa-Tirupati hills,
(Mimosaceae) Deccan, Godavar, Nellore
2 Albizia thompsonii Rare Nallamalais & Kadapa-Tirupati hills
(Mimosaceae)
3 Ceropegia spiralis Vulnerable Kadapa hills
(Asclepiadaceae)
4 Crotalaria globasa Rare Kadapa hills
(Fabaceae)
5 Crotalaria rigida Rare Nellore & Krishna
(Fabaceae)
6 Cycas beddomei Vulnerable & Tirupati hills
(Cycadaceae) Endemic
7 Decaschistia rufa Endangered Kadapa-Tirupati hills
(Malvaceae)
8 Eriolaena lushingtonii Vulnerable Nallamalais
(Sterculiaceae)
9 Hildegardia populifolia Endangered& Anantapur dry forests
(Sterculiaceae) Endemic
10 Indigofera barberi Rare & Nallamalais & Kadapa-Tirupati hills
(Fabaceae) Endemic
11 Isonandra villosa Endemic Veligonda hills
(Sapotaceaea)
12 Leucas mukerjiana Endangered Visakhapatnam
(Lamiaceae)
13 Niligirianthus circarensis Endangered Visakhapatnam
(Acanthaceae)
14 Phlebophyllum jeyporense Endangered Visakhapatnam
(Acanthaceae)
15 Phyllanthus narayanaswamii Endangered E.Godavari & Vishakhapatnam
(Euphorbiaceae)
16 Pimpinella tirupatiensis Endangered Tirupati hills
(Apiaceae)
17 Rhynchosia beddomei Rare Kadapa-Tirupati hills
(Fabaceae)
18 Tephrosia calophylla Rare Tirupati hills
(Fabaceae)
19 Toxocarpus longistigma Endangered E.Godavari & Vishakhapatnam
(Asclepiadaceae)
Table 3. List of few Endemic plants that occur in Andhra Pradesh
Species Name Habit Distribution
1 Andrographis nallamalayana Annual erect herb Nallamalais and
(Acanthaceae) Kadapa hills
2 Albizia sikharamensis Deciduous tree Nallamalais
(Mimosaceae)
3 Pimpinella tirupatiensis Annual erect herb Global endemic to
(Apiaceae) Tirupathi hills
4 Boswellia ovalifoliata Deciduous tree Tirumal hills and
(Burseraceae) Nallamalais
5 Cycas beddomei Small arborescent global endemic to
(Cycadaceae) tree Tirupathi-Kadapa
hills.
6 Pterocarpus santalinus Deciduous tree Chittoor Kadapa
(Fabaceae) and Nellore hills
7 Shorea tumbaggaia Deciduous tree Tirumala hills
(Dipterocarpaceae)
8 Crotalaria madurensis var. Shrub Nallamalais
kurnoolica
(Fabaceae)
9 Decaschistia cuddapahensis Shrub Kadapa hills
(Malvaceae)
10 Decaschistia rufa Shrub Kadapa-Trupati hills
(Malvaceae)
11 Rostellularis vahlii var. rupicola Shrub Nallamalais
(Acanthaceae)
12 Isonandra villosa Small tree Nellore district
(Rubiaceae)
13 Chrysopogon velutinus Perennial herb Kadapa hills
(Poaceae)
14 Dicliptera beddomei Shrub Nallamalais
(Acanthaceae)
15 Croton scabiosus Deciduous tree Kadapa –Tirupati
(Euphorbiaceae) hills
16 Euphorbia senguptae Erect herb Nallamalais
(Euphorbiaceae)
17 Leucas nepetaefolia Shrub Kadapa, Nellore
(Lamiaceaea) districts
18 Ficus dalhousiae Tree Tirupati hils
(Moraceae)
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