Page 143 - SST Class 08

TUNDRA VEGETATION regions, Indian forests can be divided into the

This type of vegetation is found in the North of following groups:
Arctic Circle. Here, growth is restricted due to TROPICAL RAINFORESTS
cold climate and only short statured plants grow. These forests are evergreen and found in the
They mainly consist of Birches, Junipers and areas of heavy rainfall like the Western Ghats
Willow trees. and North-Eastern States. These forests are very
DRY VEGETATION thick and tall and consist of valuable species of
The tropical deserts have hardly any vegetation. trees like Teak, Ebony, Bamboo, Sandalwood,
Only certain species which have adapted them- Rosewood and Rubber trees.
selves to a hot and dry climate grow—like TROPICAL DECIDUOUS FORESTS
Babool, Date Palm and Cactus. No other vegeta- These forests are found in the areas of 80 cm to
tion grows here. Deserts are vast expanse of land 200 cm of rainfall. The seasonal contrast of
without vegetation. Sahara Desert, Chilean temperature and rainfall affect their growth. They
Desert, Atacama Desert, Arabian desert, Kalahari are of deciduous nature. These forests are found
Desert, Australian desert, etc., are the main areas on the large parts of the peninsular plateau.
of this type of vegetation. Teak, Sal, Shisham, Neem and Mango trees are
the main species of trees grown here.

THORN AND SCRUB FORESTS
These forests occur in the areas of low rainfall.
Here, only thorny grass, scrub, bushes, cactus
and some trees like Date Palm and Babool grow.
The growth of vegetation is stunted here. They
are mainly found in Rajasthan, Gujarat, parts of
Punjab and Haryana.
TIDAL FORESTS

Dry Vegetation They are the mangrove forests, found mainly in
Sunderban deltaic region. The trees are of
NATURAL VEGETATION OF INDIA
evergreen type.
India is a land of great variety of natural vegeta-
MOUNTAINOUS VEGETATION
tion. Himalayan heights are marked with temper-
ate vegetation. The Western Ghats and the The natural vegetation in the mountains is
Andaman Nicobar Islands have tropical rain greatly influenced by the decrease in temperature
forests, the deltaic regions have tropical forests with increase in height above sea level. The
mountain forests can be broadly classified into
and mangroves; the desert and semi desert areas
two major categories — the forests in the
of Rajasthan are known for cacti, a wide variety
Himalayan ranges and the forests in the peninsu-
of bushes and thorny vegetation. Depending
lar plateaus and hill ranges.
upon the variations in the climate and the soil,
the vegetation of India changes from one region In the Himalaya Mountains, one can notice a
to another. succession of natural vegetation belts, as we see
On the basis of certain common features such as in the tropical to the tundra region. Between the
predominant vegetation type and climatic height of 1000 m and 2000 m, the evergreen

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