General:

The brakes are often dense, even if the bamboos grow in clumps. Bamboo brakes are usually found along streams or on badly drained hollows more or less displacing the tree forest. More or less continuous cover of one or two species of tall clumped bamboos with occasional standard of Terminalias and other trees are found. The moist bamboo brakes are sufficiently aggressive to be able to hold against tree growth. The latter probably gains ground after good seed years, so that very gradually the bamboo ceases to dominate.

Bambusa arundinacea, the only bamboo has come up in highly fertile and well drained soil in Muduvarachal, Pulickal, Kothala, Pooppara, Vengoli and Thellickal areas of this sanctuary. The Natural bamboo brakes also occur along the stream banks, reservoir banks and in sheltered depressions. Vengoli has the largest area of such bamboo brakes in the Sanctuary. In Elathode,Thellickal east and Thekkady areas where habitats are comparatively dry Dendrocalamus strictus is growing. D.strictus (Kal-mungil) is not growing gregariously like Bambusa arundinacea, but it is heavily browsed, so it has acquired the shape of thicket. However, its regeneration is satisfactory.

Bambusa arundinacea follows a flowering cycle of 28 to 30 years in this sanctuary. In the working plan for South Coimbatore Forest Division, Srivenkateswara Iyer has reported gregarious flowering in Anamalai during 1926-30 AD which adjoins this sanctuary. Later on, during 1956AD, sporadic flowering was reported initially, which turned gregarious later on, and thus bamboo clumps dried. These dried bamboos were collected by M/s. Gwalior Rayons Company. Again gregarious flowering started from 1983 AD and continued till 1985. About 20000MT dried and flowered bamboo culms were allotted to M/s. Hindustan Newsprint Limited.

Regeneration:

The areas occupied by the bamboo, have regenerated satisfactorily. The clumps are congested, as no thinning of culms is done. After 1984-85, gregarious flowering was again notices in Keerapady during 2000. Such areas need special attention and management strategies.

8A/C1/E1 - OCHLANDRA REED BRAKES

General:

The reed grows into impenetrable thickets of 3m to 5m height with scattered over wood of evergreen trees. They are restricted to moist areas. Unlike bamboos, the reed brakes occur in high altitude within evergreen forests. The stream banks and the areas under the shelter of evergreen and semi evergreen forests of Pooppara, Karimala, Pulickal, Orukomban and Muduvarachal support reed brakes. The reed does not grow gregariously and its height varies between 2m - 4m. Around the stream banks they occur densely.

The following species are found in the sanctuary viz., Ochlandra rheedii (Ottal, Kolangi), Ochlandra travancorica (Eetta) and Ochlandra brandisii.

Regeneration:

There is no problem of regeneration. However, the local tribals use reed for their household purposes. Reeds are not exploited commercially now. Muduva tribals collect and use them for making baskets, roofing materials, carpets etc. for their bona fide domestic requirements.

11A/C1 -SOUTHERN MONTANE WET TEMPERATE FORESTS (SHOLA FORESTS)

General:

Shola forests are unique montane vegetation occupying temperate habitats in tropical latitude and are communities restricted to valley and depressions especially along the folds of hills. Karimala hills of this sanctuary has some resembling characteristics of this type. The forest restricted to Karimala hills, is not a true shola, according to forest type description, but it shows important characters of shola plants i.e., stunted short boled highly branched trees, clothed with mosses and other epiphytes. Woody climbers are few. There is no stratification for trees and leaves are mostly small.

The species growing in this type of forests are given below.

Trees:

Cinnamomum sulphuratum, Euonymus indicus, Ligustrum robustum (rox burghii), Mesua indica, Symplocos cochinchinensis, etc.

Epiphytes (Orchids):

Lycopodium phlegmaria, Bulbophyllum fusco-purpureum, Bulbophyllum tremulum, Eria clavicaulis, Eria reticulate, Oberonia denticulata, Oberonia lindleyana, Dendrobium chlorops, Dendrobium nutans, D.viridiflora etc.

Ground Vegetation:

Impatiens parasitica, Peperomia tetraphylla and other species of palatable grasses are in abundance.

11A/C1/DS2- SOUTHERN MONTANE WET GRASS LANDS

General:

The grasslands are viewed as a stable degradation stage of vegetation because of the reasons such as recurrent fire, high wind velocity and shallow soil on the top of high altitude undulating terrain. This type of montane wet grasslands are confined to hill-top of Karimala Gopuram, Vengoli and Pandaravarai areas of this sanctuary. The vegetation is dominated by grasses along with several herbaceous and sub-shrubby species.

The main species that are found are given below:

Grasses:

Arundinella leptochloa, Chrysopogon asper, Cymbopogon flexuosus, Sacciolepis indica, Themeda triandra, Zenkeria elegans etc.

Herbaceous plants:

Aeginetia pendunculata (Keeripu), Andrographis neesiana, Arisaema tortuosum, Cajanus lineata, Drosera peltata (Peltate sundew), Eriocaulon setaceum, Habenaria barbata or H.travancorica, Pogostemon rotundatus, Peucedanum anamallayense, etc.

Sub-Shrubby plants:

Hypericum mysorense, Lobelia nicotianifolia, Osbeckia cupularis or O.zeylanica or O.glauca or O.aspera etc., are common occurrences. Phoenix loureirii, a curious palm is commonly found in this area.

LOW ALTITUDE MARSHY GRASS LANDS -VAYALS

General:

In Malayalam, low altitude marshy grasslands are termed as Vayals which are unique features of the sanctuary. Here, grasses and sedges provide high- density feeding ground for the wild herbivores during the lean season also.

Some of the species growing in vayals are given below:

Grasses:

Axonopus compressus, Paspalum spp. and Eragrostis spp.

Sedges (Family: Cyperaceae)

Lipocarpa argentea, Fuirena umbellata, Fimbristylis tetragona, or F.accuminata or F.junciformis, or F.dephylla, Cyprus cuspidatus or C.difformis or C.tegetum, Rynchospora corymbosa (coarse and unpalatable species).

Herbaceous species:

Justicia spp., Ludwigia, Hygrophile, Ageratum, Eupatorium odoratum (Nilgiri weed) and Parthenium hyterophorus (Congress grass).

Moist deciduous tree species such as Butea, Careya, Mitragyna, Adina and Terminalia and Bamboos are seen invading along the fringes of the Vayals. Similarly the central marshy portions of vayals are being excessively invaded by coarse and unpalatable sedges especially the species Rhyncospora corymbosa. This endangers the status of palatable grasses in the vayals and hence need special attention.

Teak (Tectona grandis) Plantations

The valley and the lower hills of the sanctuary were planted with teak after clear felling the moist deciduous, evergreen and semi evergreen forests in patches. Teak plantations ranging from year of formation 1921 to 1983 exist in the sanctuary. The total area under teak is 8559. 215 Ha.

Eucalypts Plantations

Over a period of time, 81.507 Ha of dry deciduous forests in the Elathode section of the sanctuary had been converted into eucalypts plantations. Most of these eucalypts plantations have been clear-felled. These plantations however are not of any practical utility for the wildlife since they lack food source even in their under storey.