Periyar National Park boasts a quite rich and diverse flora. The flora in Periyar National Park chiefly comprises of Tropical Evergreen forests (30,500ha) and Semi-evergreen forests (27,500ha) around the reservoir, and Moist-deciduous forests and Woody grasslands in the central part of the park. The flora in Periyar National Park mainly comprises of thick evergreen forest, moist deciduous forests and savannah grasslands. In addition, the marshy areas along the fringes of the Periyar Lake are full of tall grasslands, making the region one of the richest habitats of large mammals. The thick vegetation of the Periyar National Park provides both excellent cover and nourishment in the form of succulent shoots and grasses.
Around 1,963 species of flowering plants belonging to 823 genera and 159 families have been identified and documented by the experts of the Kerala Forest Research Institute and Kerala Forest Department for Periyar National Park. The major trees in the park include the Teak, Rosewood, Terminalia, Eucalyptus, Sandalwood, Jacaranda (a hardwood timber tree with purple flowers), Mango, Jamun, Tamarind, Banyan, Pipal, Plumeria, Gulmohar and Bamboo among many others. The open grasslands harbor many species of tall and nutritious grasses such as elephant grass, which supports all kinds of herbivores, from the elephants and gaurs to the small wild boar and barking deer.
One of the major characteristics of the flora in the Periyar National park is the climax forest, the sholas or tropical evergreen forests, found in the moist valleys of the Western Ghats. The sholas are dense patches of forest, characterized by tropical trees that rise up to 130 feet high. Their thick canopies provide shelter and food to a sizable number of wild animals of Periyar.
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