mangroves of andhra pradesh - identification and ... of andhra pradesh - identification and...

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Mangroves of Andhra Pradesh - Identificationand Conservation Manual

IntroductionMangroves are diverse group of salt tolerant plants growing inthe inter-tidal estuarine zones above the mean sea level of shelteredcoastal environments. The habitat of mangroves is often referredto as mangrove forest or ‘tidal forest’. These plants are constantlysubjected to tidal flushing with the ability to live in salt water.Pneumatophores, supporting stilt roots and buttresses, salt excretingglands in the leaves and viviparous propagules are some of theseveral highly specialized and collectively well-known adaptationsof this group. The advantage of the mangroves growing in a salineenvironment is the lack of other competiting plant elements. A limitednumber of plants alone have evolved adapting to such inter tidalconditions.

The first line of detense for many mangroves is to prevent the saltfrom entering the palnt by filtering it out at root level. Rhizophora,Ceriops and Bruguiera exclude (salt-excluders) more than 90percent of slat in seawaters. Another method of excreting salt, whichenters into the system is through salt secretion. Avicennia,Sonneratia and Acanthus have special salt glands, which are amongthe most active salt-secreting systems known. It is quite possibleto see the salt crusts on the leaf surfaces of the above species. Athird method of coping with excess salt is to concentrate it in the

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bark or in older leaves. Lumnitzera, Avicennia, Ceriops andSonneratia eliminate the salt by shedding them. Mangroves useone of these methods for excluding the salts but many use two ormore. In addition, a number of xerophytic characteristics also helpprevent water loss from the plant. These include thick waxy cuticle,dense haris below the leaf surface and sunken stomata. Leaves arealso commonly succulent. Storing water in fleshy internal tissue.

The roots of the mangroves have different functions. Apart fromthe radiating roots and anchoring roots, some mangroves have partof their roots above the mud with special breathing cells calledlenticels, which draw in air. Different species have developeddifferent ways of keeping their roots in the air. Stilt rootsparticularly in Rhizophora spread far and wide, providing numerousanchors for the tree as well as a large surface area for oxygenabsorbing lenticels. Avicennia trees have pencil like roots andSonneratia have pet like structures known pneumatophores.The mangroves also produce viviparous seedlings.

The richest mangrove communities occur in tropical and subtropical areas where the water temperature is greater than 240C inthe warmest month, where the annual rainfall exceeds 1250 mm.The mangroves need protection from high-energy waves, whichcan erode the shore and prevent seedlings establishment. In theGodavari mangroves, 18 km length of the sand spit protect the

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mangroves from the high-energy sea waves. Shallow, gentlyshelving shores allow mangrove seedlings to anchor, particularlyin estuaries, rivers and bays. The East coast when compared to theWest coast is shallow and the shore is gently shelving withnumerous estuaries. Hence the development of mangroves in theEast coast is more than that of the West coast. The area of themangrove wetlands in India has been estimated. Variously from6,81,000 ha. by Sidhu (1963) to 5,00,000 ha. by the Forest Surveyof India (1998).

Global MangrovesGlobally mangorves are distributed across the tropical andsubtropical forests and are predominantly found in tropical region(Fig.1). Asia and Australia have the greatest diversity anddistribution of mangrove species in the world. Out of 18 millionhectares of mangrove forests, more than 40% are found along theAsian coasts (Table 1). Largest mangrove formations are found inIndonesia, Brazil and Sundarbans of India and Bangladesh. Themangroves of the world can be mainly divided into eastern andwestern groups. Eastern group covers the region from west andcentral pacific to the southern end of Africa. Western group coversthe regions American and African coasts of Atlantic Ocean, theCaribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico or the west coast of Africa andcoastal regions of North and South America. The Eastern grouphas five times more number of species than the Western group(Table 2).

Fig. 1. Global distribution of mangroves (Spalding et al. 1997)

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RegionWorld Mangrove Atlas IUCN Fisher and Spalding

sqkm. % sqkm. % sqkm. %

South andSouth east Asia

75.173 41.5 51,766 30.7 76,226 38.3

Australia 18,789 10.4 16,980 10 15,145 7.6

The America 49,096 27.1 67,446 40 51,286 25.8

West Africa 27,995 15.5 27,110 16 49,500 24.9

East Africa andMiddle East

10,024 5.5 5,508 3.3 6,661 3.4

Total 181,077 198,818

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Acanthus ebracteatus • • • • • • • • •

Acanthus ilicifolius • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Acrostichum aureum • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Acrostichum speciosum • • • • • •

Aegialitis annulata •

Aegialitis rotundifolia • • • •

Aegiceras corniculatum • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Aegiceras floridum • • •

Avicennia alba • • • • • • • • • • •

Avicennia marina • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Avicennia officinalis • • • • • • • • • • • •

Avicennia rumphiana • • •

Bruguiera cylindrica • • • • • • • • • • • •

Bruguiera exaristata •

Bruguiera gymnorrhiza • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Bruguiera hainesii • • •

Bruguiera parviflora • • • • • • • • • •

Bruguiera sexangula • • • • • • • • • • •Camptostemonphilippinense • •

Table 2 : Mangrove species list for South and South east Asia

Table 1 : Mangrove areas under different regions

(Source: World Mangrove Atlas, Spalding et al., 1997)

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Camptostemon schulzii •

Ceriops decandra • • • • • • • • • •

Ceriops tagal • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Cynometra iripa •

Dolichandrone

spathacea • • • • •

Excoecaria agallocha • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Excoecaria indica • • • • •

Heritiera fomes • • • •

Heritiera globosa • •

Heritiera littoralis Ex • • • • • • • • • • •

Kandelia candel • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Lumnitzera littorea • • • • • • • •

Lumnitzera racemosa • • • • • • • • • • • •

Lumnitzera x rosea •

Nypa fruticans • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Osbornia octodonta • • •

Pemphis acidula • • • • • •

Rhizophora apiculata • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Rhizophora mucronata • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Rhizophora stylosa • • • • • •

Rhizophora x lamarckii • • •

Schyphiphorahydrophyllacea • • • • • • • • •

Sonneratia alba • • • • • • • • • • • •

Sonneratia apetala • • • • •

Sonneratia caseolaris • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Sonneratia griffithii • • • •

Sonneratia lanceolata •

Sonneratia ovata • • • • • • •

Sonneratia x gulngai • • •

Sonneratia x urama • •

Xylocarpus granatum • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Xylocarpus mekogensis • • • • •

Ex = Extinct in that country Source: Spalding et.al 1997.

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Mangroves of IndiaThe major mangrove wetlands of India are located along the EastCoast (Tables 3 and 4) where as it is predominantly distributed inGujarat in the West Coast (Table 5). Along the East coast the tidalamplitude as well as the volume and periodicity offresh water inflowdecreases from Sundarbans in the north to Muthupet mangroveslocated in the southern most end. Correspondingly the speciesdiversity and area of mangrove wetlands also decreases from northto south indicating the influence of fresh water inflow and tidalamplitude on the health and wealth of mangrove wetlands as shownin Table 3.

Table 3. Tidal amplitude, freshwater inflow and species diversityof mangrove wetlands along the east coast

Tidal Freshwater SpeciesMangrove area amplitude (m) inflow Area (ha) diversity

Sundarbans -West Bengal 4 to 6 Perennial 400000 48

Bhitarkanika - Orissa 2 to 4 July to January 30000 36

Mahanadi - Orissa 2 to 4 July to January 3856.2 32

Godavari - Andhra Pradesh 1.5 to 2 July to November 33200 16

Krishna - Andhra Pradesh 1.5 to 2 July to November 24999.4 7 14

Piehavaram and Muthupet 0.20 to 0.50 October to 14000 13

Tamil Nadu December

Location Long! Lat Forest Survey of MSSRF Data (ha.)India - 1998 (ha.)

Pichavaram 79° 45'! II ° 25' 900 528 (IRS LIS 111- 2002)Muthupet 79° 37'! 10° 14' 1,200 1867 (IRS LIS 111- 1996)Krishna 80° 53'! 15° 43' 15,600 9500 (IRS LIS III - 2001)Godavari 82° 22'! 15° 43' 24,100 17000 (IRS LIS [!J - 200 I)Mahanadi 86° 41 ‘! 20° 28’ 1,000 3200 (IRS LIS 1Il- 2002)Bhitarkanika 86° 52'! 20° 49' 20,500 14200 (IRS LIS lll- 2002)

Table 4. Area of Mangrove forest of the East Coast of India in Hectate

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Mangroves of Andhra PradeshThe State of Andhra Pradesh has a geographical area of 2,76,000 sq.km.out of which an area of 63,770 sq.km is under forests, which accountsto 23% of the geographical area. Out of 63,770 sq.km. of forests only582 sq.km. are under the magnrove forests, which accounts 0.9% of thetotal forest area of the state. Andhra Pradesh has the geographical ad-vantage of having most of the east flowing rivers in the heart of thestate bringing in copious supplies of sediments from the Western andEastern Ghats and Deccan Plateau up to the coast. The major, mediumand minor rivers, which flow through the state, are about 40. Out ofthese, the most important rivers are (1) The Godavari (2) The Krishna(3) The Pennar and (4) The Vamsadhara. The majority of the man-groves are present in the estuaries of these rivers. The Godavari man-groves are located in the Godavari estuary in the East Godavari district.Krishna mangroves are located in the Krishna estuary of Krishna andGuntur districts. Apart from these estuaries, mangroves are also foundin small patches in the coasts of Visakhapatnam, West Godavari, Gunturand Prakasam districts.

Table 5 : Location wise Area of Mangrove vegetation in coastal states of India

S.No State Place Area in Sq.km.

1. Andaman and Nicobar Andaman 9292. Tamil Nadu Muthupet 123. Tamil Nadu Pichavaram 94. Andhra Pradesh Krishna 1565. Andhra Pradesh Godavari 2416. Orissa Devi mouth 107. Orissa Mahanadi&

Bhitarkanika 2058. West Bengal Sundarbans 2,1259. Gujarat Gulf of Kutchch 99410. Gujarat Gulf of Kambat 3211. Maharashtra Mumbai 9612. Maharashtra Ratnagiri 1213. Goa Goa 514. Karnataka Karwar 315. Andaman and Nicobar Nicobar 37

Total 4,866

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RainfallThe region falls under the category of tropical humid climatewith the monsoon season commencing from June and extendingup to December. The rainfall of Andhra Pradesh is influenced bySouthwest and Northeast monsoons. The mean rainfall of thestate is 925 mm. Major quantity (68.5%) of rainfall is contributedby the Southwest monsoon (June-Sept) followed by Northeastmonsoon (Oct.-Dec. 22.3%). The rest (9.2%) of the rainfall isreceived during the winter and summer months. The influenceof southwest monsoon is predominant in coastal Andhra Pradeshwith a mean of 602.26 mm. and the Northeast monsoon providesa mean rainfall of 316.8 mm. In the East Godavari district, theaverage total rainfall is about 1160 mm. This area receivescopious supply of freshwater during the southwest and northeastmonsoons. During this period, the salinity is very low (< 5 ppt).From January, the weather is mainly dry and progresses graduallyto the hot summer months of March to May. The averagemaximum and minimum temperatures recorded are 32.36 and24.40 C.

Catchment areas of Godavari and KrishnaRiver Godavari is the largest in South India with a total catchmentarea of3,14,685 sq.km. Godavari originates at Triambakam nearNasik in Maharashtra in the Western Ghats and flows for 692 km.before entering Andhra Pradesh in Adilabad district. Almost twothirds of the catchment of the Godavari f1ows into Bay of Bengalafter traversing a total length of 1,446 km. Of the total catchmentarea, 23.62% lies in Andhra Pradesh. It flows through the EasternGhats at Po1avaram in West Godavari district. In 1852, a barragewas constructed at Dowleswaram near Rajahmundry in EastGodavari, where it gets divided into Gautami and Vasishta Riversand finally confluences in the Bay of Bengal. The Vasista Godavariagain gets bifurcated into Vasista and Vainateya Godavari. TheGodavari delta is formed across these rivers. The barrage water is

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used for irrigating nearly 410,000 ha. in both East and WestGodavari Districts. In Andhra Pradesh, Godavari f10ws throughAdi1abad, Nizamabad, Karimnagar, Warangal, Khammam, EastGodavari and West Godavari districts. It is fed by number oftributaries and important among them are Pranahita, the Penganga,Wardha, Waiganga, Kinnerasani, Manjira, Sabari and Indravati.Much of the water in Godavari is contributed by Pranahita (40%),followed by Indravati (20%), Sabari (10%) and Manjira (6%).

The Gautami Godavari joins the Bay of Bengal at two places, onenear Bhairavapalem and the other near Kothapalem. The GautamiGodavari is connected to the Kakinada bay by two major canalsnamely the Corangi, which arises at Yanam and Gaderu canal,which has its origin at Bhairavapalem. There are numerous othersmall canals namely Chollangi creek and Matlapalem canal whichfeed the mangrove areas and eventually flow into the Kakinadabay.

River Krishna starts from Mahabaleshwar in the Western Ghats(Maharashtra State) and runs in the southern direction to a lengthof about 1401 kms. It flows for about 780 km. from Mahabaleshwarin Maharashtra before it enters Andhra Pradesh. Its most importanttributary is the Tungabhadra River, which itself is formed by theTunga and Bhadra rivers that originate in the Western Ghats. Othertributaries include the Koyna, Bhima, Mallaprabha, Ghataprabha,Verla, Warna, Dindi, Musi and Dudhganga rivers. The catchmentarea of the river is 2,58,818 sq.km. of which 29.45% is in AndhraPradesh.

Past management practicesBefore the constitution of mangroves into forest blocks, most ofthe mangrove areas in East Godavari were under the control ofprivate estate owners till Estate Abolition Act came into force.The Forest department since 1933 systematically on a rotation basisof 25 years has worked Coringa and Coringa Extension reserves

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in Kakinada in the Godavari estuary. Similarly, the Krishnamangroves were also worked on a 25 years rotation since early1930s. The owners heavily exploited the estate forests, and goatbrowsing and lopping of trees further degraded them. Removal ofmangroves for fuel by the many fishing villages around these forestsalso degraded the forest to certain extent. As per the data from thedigitized maps of Survey ofIndia, the Godavari mangroves occupyan area of about 33,150 hectares in the deltaic region of the GodavariRiver. Of this, healthy mangroves occupy an area of 12,464 ha.,degraded mangroves occupy 4,195 ha. and the rest are mudflats,water bodies, sand and Casuarina plantation.

Present management practicesAfter starting implementing the World Bank funded ForestryProject, the Forest department formed Eco-Development Commit-tees (EDC) and Vana Samrakshana Samithis (VSS) in Mangroveareas for joint implementation ofthe project. The entire CoringaWildlife Sanctuary has been protected by the 20 EDCs. Similarlyin Krishna, 7 EDCs were functioning. These Village Level Institu-tions (VLIs) were provided management area for protection andconservation. The five village institutions in Godavari and threeVLIs in Krishna where the project activities are jointly implementedby the Forest department, MSSRF and Community. Trainings wereprovided for sustainable mangrove conservation and managementthrough participatory approaches.

Area of Study

Godavari MangrovesThe Godavari mangroves are located in the Godavari estuary inthe East Godavari district, between 16° 39' - 17° Nand 82° 14' -82° 23' E. The total area ofthe wetland according to the Forestdepartment, Government of Andhra Pradesh is 316 sq. km. in which235.7 sq.km. is under Coringa wildlife sanctuary (Rajesh Mitta1,1993). Sidhu (1963) and Vma Maheswara Rao and Narasimha Rao

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(1988) reported the extent of mangroves as 33,260 ha. Subba Reddi(1982) reported the extent of Godavari mangroves as only 6,000ha. The Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary has 3 Reserved Forests namelyCorangi R.F., Corangi Extn. R.F. and Bhairavapalem R.F. Most ofthe mangroves in the sanctuary are not directly connected with theBay of Bengal. The mangroves of Coringa Wild Life sanctuaryreceive tidal flushing through Matlapalem canal, Corangi Riverand Gaderu River. The Gaderu and Corangi rivers are tributariesof the Godavari. The other 6 Reserved Forests (R.F) namelyRathikalava, Masanitippa, Matlatippa, Balusutippa, Kothapalemand Kandikuppa R.F are situated on the southern side of NilarevuRiver that falls under non-sanctuary area. (Fig. 2).

LandUseAquaculture tanks (Shrimp farms) are located very close to themangrove forests. Revenue and private lands abutting themangroves are converted into shrimp tanks. Coconut groves andpaddy cultivation are the important agricultural practices of thisarea. Some of the areas are under salt production in both Krishnaand Godavari deltas. The saltpans are found in the out skirts ofKakinada near Chollangi and near Balusutippa. Casuarinaplantations were raised by the Forest department along the HopeIsland and along the shore near Masanitippa and Kandikuppa R.F.and near Sacramento Lighthouse.

Vegetation typesDense Mangroves: Areas close to the sea especially the areas foundnear Corangi and Gaderu river mouths are characteristic of densevegetation because of daily inundation. This area supportsAvicennia alba and Sonneratia apetala. Rhizophora apiculata,Ceriops decandra, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, Excoecaria agallochaand Xylocarpus moluccensis are present in the middle zone.Towards the landward area mostly Excoecaria agallocha, Avicenniamarina and A. officinalis occur.

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Fig. 1. Godavari Mangroves

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Sparse Mangroves: Occasionally inundating areas support specieslike Excoecaria agallocha and Lumnitzera racemosa and generallythey are of short stature. Suaeda maritima, S. nudiflora andAeluropus lagopoides are common in this area.

Casuarina Plantations: The Casuarina plantations raised by theForest Department along the coast are seen in the Hope Island,along the shore near Masanitippa and in Kandikuppa R.F. nearSacramento lighthouse.

Invasion by Prosopis : The high tidal mud flats where inundationis rare, the invasion of Prosopis can be seen. Invasion could alsobe seen even near the river mouth.

Vegetation survey MethodologyThe sampling plots were laid 500 m apart (10 m x 10m) in theareas near Matlapalem, Dindu and 1 k.m interval (20 m x 20 m) inthe remaining areas. The quadrets were laid using nylon ropesmarked with 10m intervals. The species available inside thequadrets were enumerated. The plant species collected wereidentified with the help of floras namely Flora of The Presidencyof Madras by Gamble (1915-1938), the Flora of The Presidencyof Bombay by Cooke (1967) and Mangroves in India -Identification Manual by Banerjee et al. (1989). Photographs ofdifferent zonations, and individual species were taken. Voucherspecimens for all the species were collected and herbarium isprepared using standard methods followed at MH, BSI(Coimbatore).

Corangi Reserved Forest (RF)The Mangrove vegetation in this R.F. is dense. The total area asper the forest department is about 4,242 ha. out of which 2,951 ha.is with dense mangroves. Avicennia marina and Excoecariaagallocha are the dominant species. Acanthus ilicifolius andMyriostachya wightiana are found in thick patches along the creeksof Corangi River near Ramannapalem and Matlapalem creeks.

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Associated species like Thespesia populneoides, Hibiscus tiliaceusand Clerodendrum inerme are present. Suaeda maritima and S.nudiflora are common in the degraded and partially degraded areas.In the elevated areas where the soil is highly saline Salicorniabrachiata is seen. Shrubs namely Acanthus ilicifolius and Dalbergiaspinosa and climbers like Ipomoea tuba, Sarcolobus carinatus,Caesalpinia crista, and Derris trifoliata are also recorded.Lumnitzera racemosa, Excoecaria agallocha and Avicennia marinaare found in the up-land areas. The soil of this R.F. is clayey.

The mangrove zonations near Corangi river mouth and Matlapalemcanal are distinct. Avicennia alba is seen as pure stands nearKakinada Bay side (Corangi river and Matlapalem canal mouths).The next zone towards landward side is with pure stands ofSonneratia apetala. After this the vegetation is mixed with purestands of Excoecaria agallocha, Lumnitzera racemosa, Aegicerascorniculatum and Avicennia marina. The other mangrove speciesRhizophora apiculata, Xylocarpus moluccensis, Bruguieracylindrica, B. gymnorrhiza and Ceriops decandra are almostabsent.

Corangi Extension R.F.The Corangi extension R.F. as per the records of Forest departmentis 19,467 ha. As Kakinada Bay falls under this R.F. more than50% of the area is under water bodies. The vegetation along theMatlapalem creek and Gaderu creek are thick. Excoecariaagallocha is the dominant species and Avicennia marina is subdominant. The average height of the vegetation is about 4.5m. Inthe eastern side of Gaderu River, species namely Bruguieragymnorrhiza, B. cylindrica, Rhizophora apiculata, R. mucronataandXylocarpus molluccensis are recorded. These species are eitherrare or absent in the Matlapalem canal area. Near the Gaderu rivermouth Sonneratia alba is recorded. Acanthus ilicifolius,Myriostachya wightiana, Fimbristylis ferruginea are recorded. Inthe degraded areas Suaeda nudiflora, S. maritima and Salicornia

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brachiata are recorded. Sesuvium portulacastrum is abundant inthis R.F. along with Bruguiera cylindrica near Gaderu side. Thesoil of this R.F. is clayey in the Gaderu riverside and sandy claynear the Bay side.

Bhairavapalem R.F.

Bhairavapalem R.F. is named after the village Bhairavapalem thatis situated near the Godavari river mouth and occupies an area of971 ha. In Bhairavapalem R.F. almost all the species are recordedexcept Scyphiphora hydrophyllacea. In this R.F. Excoecariaagallocha, Avicennia marina, A. officinalis and Aegicerascorniculatum are abundant. Rhizophora apiculata, R mucronata,Xylocarpus moluccensis, Sonneratia apetala, Bruguieragymnorrhiza and B. cylindrica are seen along the creeks. Suaedaspp. is noticed in the degraded areas. The other species namelyDerris trifoliata, Sarcolobus carinatus, Clerodendrum inerme andDalbergia spinosa are also recorded. The soil ofthis R. F. is clayeyalong the Gaderu River and is sandy clay towards the seaside.

Rathikalava R.F.

The total area under this R.F. is 2,043 ha. of which 805 ha. is withdense mangroves. As per the GIS data, the water spread area(Godavari River) accounts for 724 ha. Degraded and partially de-graded mangroves account for 214 ha. Rhizophora apiculata, R.mucronata, Xylocarpus molluccensis, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza,Avicennia marina, A. ofjicinalis and Excoecaria agallocha occurin this R.F. Trees of Rhizophora, Bruguiera are seen along thecreeks reaching about 4-6 m. in height. Large trees of Avicenniaofficinalis are found in the R.F. Tamarix troupii, a mangrove asso-ciate is recorded in this R.F along with Thespesia populneoides,Hibiscus tiliaceus and Clerodendrum inerme. Species of Suaedaand Salicornia occur in the degraded areas. Stunted Excoecariaagallocha, Lumnitzera racemosa are also found in the degradedareas. Prosopis invasion along the Saleru canal is noticed which

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are cut and sold by the villagers for tobacco curing during Decemberand January every year. In spite ofthis practice, this species is fastmaking in roads into mangrove areas posing a severe threat tomangroves. The soil is clayey.

Masanitippa R.F.

Masanitippa RF. is named after the village Masanitippa. This R.F.extends to an area of 1,089.5 ha. Out ofthis, 814 ha. is coveredwith dense mangroves. The species composition and the vegetationpattern in this R.F. are similar to Rathikalava R.F. Rhizophoraapiculata and R. mucronata of about 5m. height are seen along thecreeks. Avicennia marina and Excoecaria agallocha are thedominant species in this R.F. Sonneratia apetala, Bruguieragymnorrhiza, Ceriops decandra, Lumnitzera racemosa andBruguiera cyhndrica are also recorded in this R.F. Large areas ofmangroves are occurring outside the R.F. towards the Bay ofBengal, which is under severe erosion due to oceanic currents andtides. Prosopis thickets are also noticed in this area. The soil ofthis R.F. is clayey.

Matlatippa R.F.

In Matlatippa RF. fairly dense mangrove vegetation is found onthe eastern side. The western side is elevated and also there are nocreeks to facilitate tidal flow. According to Forest department themangroves are spread in 445 ha. of which 210 ha. is with vegetation.The remaining areas are with degraded mangroves and waterbodies. Grazing by cattle and goat are observed in this R.F. Specieslike Sonneratia apetala, Rhizophora apiculata, Bruguieragymnorrhiza, Avicennia marina, A. ofjicinahs, A. alba, Lumnitzeraracemosa, Ceriops decandra and Xylocarpus moluccensis arerecorded in this R.F. Climbers like Derris trifohata, Sarcolobuscarinatus, grasses like Porteresia coarctata, Myriostachyawightiana and shrubs like Dalbergia spinosa and Acanthusilicifohus are recorded. The soil of this RF. is clayey.

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Balusutippa RF.Balusutippa R.F. is named after the village Balusutippa. The extentof mangroves under this R.F. is about 475 ha. of which 427 ha. isunder mangrove vegetation. Large trees of Avicennia ofjicinahs,A. marina, Rhizophora apiculata, R. mucro nata, Bruguieragymnorrhiza, Xylocarpus moluccensis and Ceriops decandra arerecorded in this R.F. Large areas of mangroves are seen outsidethis RF. along the Gowthami Godavari River. Soil of this R.F. isclayey.

Kothapalem RF.

This is also named after the village Kothapalem. Through themangrove extent in this R.F. is only 50.8 ha. the species diversityis rich and the vegetation is fairly dense. A rare and endemic speciesnamely Scyphiphora hydrophyllacea Gaertn. f. (RUBIACEAE) isrecorded near the Sacramento lighthouse. They are about 2 m. inheight. Along the entire East coast this species occurs only in thisR.F. Other plants namely Excoecaria agallocha, Lumnitzeraracemosa, Rhizophora apiculata, R. mucronata, Xylocarpusmoluccensis, Bruguiera gym norrh iza, Avicennia marina andA. ofjicinahs are recorded. Trees of these species are about 4-5 m.in height. Climbers namely, Derris trifohata and Sarcolobuscarinatus are recorded. Shrubs like Dalbergia spinosa,Clerodendrum inerme and the halophytic herbs such as Suaedaand Sahcornia are also recorded. The nearby aqua ponds andhabitation are constant sources ofthreat to the mangrove ecosystemin this area. The soil is clayey.

Kandikuppa RF.

This RF. is about 3,802 ha. of which healthy mangroves occur in425 ha. Large areas of Casuarina plantations along the shore, isalso a part of this R.F. Vegetation in this R. F. is relatively healthyand also rich in diversity. Species namely Rhizophora apiculata,Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, Ceriops decandra and Xylocarpus

18

molluccensis are found in the RF. Excoecaria agallocha, Avicenniamarina, A. officinalis and Lumnitzera racemosa are also recorded inthis R.F. The vegetation in this RF. is disturbed due to thehuman pressure from the nearby villages namely Molletimogga,Kothapalem, Pandi and Pora. The soil is clayey in the land wardside and it is sandy clay near the seaward side.

The mangroves of Godavari are dense when compared to Krishnamangroves. The species composition is also high. Excoecariaagallocha and Avicennia marina contribute to about 90% of areaof mangroves of the Godavari estuarine complex.

Krishna Mangroves

The Krishna mangroves are between 15° 42' - 15° 55' N and 80°42' - 81° 01’E spread across Krishna and Guntur Districts(Fig 3).

Sorlagondi R.F.

The vegetation in Sorlagondi RF. is sparse. The total area as perthe records of the Forest department is 5,199.40 ha. out of which1,292 ha. is with dense mangroves. The vegetation near thelighthouse is dense. Avicennia ofjicinalis, A. marina, Excoecariaagallocha, Aegiceras corniculatum and Rhizophora apiculata arerecorded. Suaeda maritima and S. nudiflora are common in thedegraded areas and Excoecaria agallocha and Avicennia marinawith stunted growth also occur. Acanthus ilicifolius is seen alongthe sides of the creek and Clerodendrum inerme an associate speciesis also recorded. Avicennia marina, and Excoecaria agallocha arethe dominant species. In the highly saline areas Salicorniabrachiata, is present and dense vegetation of Prosopis is seen inthe uplands towards landward side. Nearly 500 ha. of the barrenareas near Gollalamoda are converted for aquaculture. Soil in thisR.F. is clayey.

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Fig. 3. Krishna Mangroves

1. Sorlagondi R.F. 2.Nachugunta R.F. 3. Yelichetladibba R.F.4. Lankavanidibba R.F. 5. Mulagunta R.F. 6. Kothapalem R.F. B.No. 17. Kothapalem R.F. B.No. 2 8. Aduvuladivi R.F.

>

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Nachugunta RF.The total area of this R.F. is 6,064.64 ha. in which 2,873 ha. arehealthy mangroves. Species diversity is more in this R.F. Densevegetation of the Rhizophora apieulata, Avieennia marina andA. offieinalis are seen along the canals. Prosopis invasion is morein some places with mixed vegetation of Exeoeearia agalloeha.Mean height of the trees in this area is 4-5 m. Large areas ofdegraded mangroves occur near Zinkapalem village with stuntedgrowth of Exeoeearia agalloeha, Suaeda maritima and Avieenniamarina. The dominant species are Rhizophora apieulata andAvieennia marina. Species like Exeoeearia agalloeha, Aegieeraseornieulatum, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza and Acanthus ilieifolius arerecorded. Soil is clayey towards landward side and sandy clayeynear the shore side.

Yelichetladibba RF.

The total area of this R.F. is 3,714.09 ha. in which 751 ha. is ofdense mangroves. Large areas are under intensive aquaculture alongthe Nadimeru canal. The mangrove vegetation is sparse in theland ward side while thick vegetation is seen towards seaward side.The degraded areas are elevated along the creeks and tidal waterthat enters during the spring tides and during floods got stagnatedand increased the soil salinity thus leading to degradation ofmangroves. Avieennia marina is the dominant species and otherspecies like Rhizophora apieulata, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza andAegieeras eornieulatum are also recorded. Acanthus ilieifolius isseen along the creeks. Soil is sandy towards the shore side andsandy clay towards landward side. Suaeda maritima and S.nudiflora are noticed in the degraded areas. Non-mangroves namelyProsopis, Opuntia and Asparagus are recorded in the upland areas.

Kothapalem RF.The total area in this R.F. is 1553.91 ha. in which only 285 ha. isunder healthy mangroves. This R.F. is named after the village

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Kothapalem situated nearby. Large areas of degraded patches nearVasalsinkkalava are converted for aquaculture. In Kothapalem R.F.thick vegetation of Avieennia marina, Rhizophora apieulata, R.mucronata, Bruguiera eylindriea, B. gymnorrhiza andXyloearpusgranatum are seen along the canals. Suaeda maritima andSalieornia braehiata occur in the abandoned aqua farms as wellas in the degraded areas. Species namely Ceriops deeandra,Avieennia officina lis, Clerodendrum inerme, Sesuviumportulaeastrum and Salieornia braehiata are recorded.

Lankivanidibba R.F.

The total area under this R.F is 5,382 ha. of which 1,974 ha. iswith thick mangrove vegetation. Avieennia marina, A. officina lis,Xyloearpus granatum, Exeoeearia agalloeha, Ceriops deeandra,Rhizophora apieulata and Bruguiera eylindriea are recorded. Thevegetation is healthier. Large degraded areas are available in thisR.F. Anthropological pressure is more from the nearby villages ofMolagunta, Kothapa1em, Patur, Nakshatranagar andLankivanidibba. The soil in this R.F. is clayey. Invasion of Prosopisis high in some of the areas.

In Krishna, the vegetation is sparse in Sorlagondi, Nachugunta,Lankivanidibba and Yelichetladibba R.F’s. In Lankivanidibba, themangrove vegetation is dense along the coast and in the landwardside the vegetation is sparse. Invasion of Prosopis is a seriousthreat to the mangrove biodiversity.

Long Term Management

The species diversity and the population density of each speciesare directly related to the spatial and temporal discharge of riverwater flow. It is determined that the past management practices ofclear felling by coup method without realizing the fact that themangroves are not coppicing type has resulted in blank formationwhich further inhibited natural regeneration.

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The dams constructed across the River Godavari at Dowleswaramand Almatti in Karnataka and the Prakasam barrage at Vijayawadain Andhra Pradesh across Krishna River for increasing the cultivableareas has resulted in the reduced river water flow and thus thenutrients required for the mangroves. A cumulative effect of thesefactors inhibited the natural regeneration and sapling establishmentof mangrove species. This has in fact resulted in the gradualdisappearance of some of the mangrove species. This can becorrelated from the fact that the mangrove species namely Sonneratiaapetala was lost in the mangroves of Picha va ram. This is due to thereduced flow of river water from the period 1950 to till date.

Based on the chronological data on salinity and tidal amplitude thespecies that were occurring in the past needs to be reestab-lishedby aforestration methods as a means of long term management.

The river mouths need to be periodically cleared and sand bars re-moved to ensure free flooding of river water into the sea. This wouldnot only help in the better nutrient supply to the mangroves but also tothe juveniles of fishery which breed in the open sea and takeshelter in the mangroves. Periodical monitoring of sand bar forma-tion of river mouth coupled with rainfall data and water dischargedata from Dowleswaram and other barrages could be an optimummeasure, which needs to be followed with a detennined deadlines.

Dredging of river mouth can be linked with port authorities andlocal fishennen as both have a stake in the economical and eco-logical benefits. Another important aspect that contributes to thecauses of degradation is the felling of mangrove for genuine basicneeds. A rationale approach in the protection of mangroves shouldbe such that viable alternatives should be provided. Particularlyjoint patrolling by members ofEDC/VSS and Forest DepartmentStaff and genuine vigilance to control poaching by outsiders wouldhelp in better management of these dwindling much needed resourcesof great ecological value.

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Enumeration of species

In the present floristic enumeration 35 species have been recordedbelonging to 27 genra of 20 families occurring in Godavari andKrishna mangrove areas. The species occurrence, local names, lifeform and conservation status are given in Table 6.

S.NoPlant Species and

FamilyTeluguName Habit Status Godavari Krishna

1. Avicennia alba Bl. Vilava mada Tree Common near + -Avicenniaceae the seaward side

2. A. marina (Forsk.) Vierh. Tella mada Tree Common + +Avicenniaceae

3. A. officinalis L. Nalla mada Tree Common + +Avicenniaceae

4. Lumnitzera racemosa Wild. Thanduga Tree Coomon - + -Landward side

5. Excoecaria agallocha L. Tilla Tree Common - + +Landward side

6. Xylocarpus granatum Koen. Senuga Tree Rare - found only - +Meliaceae in Krishna

mangrove

7. X. moluccensis (Lamk.) Senuga Tree Rare + -M. Roem. Meliaceae

8. Aegiceras corniculatum (L.) Guggilam Tree Abundant + +Blanto Myrsinaceae

9. Bruguiera cylindrica (L.) Bl Urudu Tree Common in the + +Rhizophoraceae Gaderu river

mouth

10. B. gymnorrhiza (L.) Savigny Kandriga Tree Less frequent + +Rhizophoraceae

11. Ceriops decandra (Griff.) Togara Tree Common + +Ding HouRhizophoraceae

12. Rhizophora apiculata Bl. Ponna Tree Abundant + +Rhizophoraceae

13. R. mucronata Lamk. Ponna Tree Less Common + +Rhizophoraceae

14. Scyphiphora hydrophyllacea Nara Tree Rare-Endemic + -Rubiaceae thanduga

Table 6. Mangrove plant species occurring in Godavari and Krishna wetlands

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15. Sonneratia apetala Kalinga Tree Common + +Buch. - Ham.Sonneratiaceae

16. Sonneratia alba J. Smith Pedda Tree Rare + -Sonneratiaceae Kalinga

17. Acanthus ilicifolius L. Alchi Shrub Common in less + -Acanthaceae saline areas

18. Dalbergia spinosa Roxb. Chillinga Shrub Common in less + -Fabaceae saline areas

19. Sarcolobus carinatus Wall. Balaboddu Vine Common in + +Asclepiadaceae theega Excoecaria zone

20. Caesalpinia crista L. Rachis Vine Common in less + +Caesalpiniaceae saline areas

21. Ipomoea pes-caprae (L.) - Vine Common in the + -Sweet Convolvulaceae sandy areas

22. Ipomoea tuba L. Tellateega Vine Common in less + -Convolvulaceae saline areas

23. Derris trifoliata Lour. Nalla theega Vine Common in less + -Fabaceae saline areas

24. Sesuvium portulacastrum - Herb Common in + +(Linn.) Linn. sandy placesAizoaceae

25. Salicornia brachiata Roxb. - Herb Common in + +Chenopodiaceae degraded salt

pan areas

26. Suaeda maritima (L.) Elakura Herb Common in + +Chenopodiaceae degraded areas

27. S. nudiflora (Willd.) Moq Elakura Herb Common in + +Chenopodiaceae degraded areas

28. Fimbristylis ferruginea - Herb Less frequent in + -(L.) Vah. Cyperaceae low saline areas

near river banks

29. Aeluropus lagopoides(L.) - Herb + +Trin Poaceae

30. Myriostachya wightiana Dhaba gaddi Herb Common along + +(Necs ex. Steud.)Hook.f. the creeksPoaceae

31. Porteresia coarctata (Roxb.) Yellugaddi Herb In the river + -Tateoka mouths withPoaceae newly accreted

alluvial soils



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32. Hibiscus tiliaceus L. Attakanara Tree Common + -Malvaceae towards land- + -

ward side

33. Thespesia poulneoides Ganguravi Tree Common along + -(Roxb.) Kostel tidal banks ofMalvaceae landward side

34. Tamarix troupii Hole. Palivelu Tree Less frequent + -Tamariaceae along river

banks nearBhairavalanka-Rathikalava RF

35. Clerodendrum inerme Pisingi Tree Common along + +Gaertn. Verbanaceae creeks in the

landward area



Assciated Plants

Key to the Families(Adopted from Banerjee and Rao, 1990)

1a. Stem woody with central pith. Flowers 4-5 merous2a. Plants with stilt roots, knee roots, pneumatophores and

vivipary3a. Plants with stilt roots (except in Bruguiera with knee

roots) and vivipary. Pneumatophores absent.4a. Ovary inferior. Stamens and anther sacs more than

6, ovules typically 2 on each placentaRhizophoraceae

4b. Ovary superior. Stamens and anther sacs less than6, ovules not typically 2.

Myrsinaceae3b. Plants without stilt roots and vivipary, pneumatophores

present (except in Avicennia with incipient vivipary).5a. Stem trunk buttressed Meliaceae5b. Stem trunk not buttressed

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6a. Lower surface of leaf glabrous. Petalspresent or absent. Stamens many, insertedon a hypanthium. Fruit resting on calyxtube. Seed with testa. Cotyledon not conduplicate. Sonneratiaceae

6b. Lower surface of leaf covered with brownhairs. Petals always present. Staments 4-5not on hypanthium. Fruit not resting on calyx tube. Seed without testa. Cotyledonconduplicate Avicenniaceae

2b. Plants without stilt roots, knee roots and vivipary7a. Perianth uniseriate, not differentiated

into calyx and corolla.8a. Plants with milky sap

Euphorbiaceae8b. Plants without milky sap.

9a. Stamens many, united basally,staminodes present. Fruit a capsule dehiscing septicidally

Aizoaceae9b. Stamens 5, not united basally,

staminodes absent. Fruit an indehiscent nutlet

Chenopodiaceae

Chenopodiaceae7b. Perianth biseriate, differentiated into

calyx and corolla10a. Interpetiolar stipules absent

Tamariaceae10b. Interpetiolar stipules present

Rubiaceae

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11a. Petals free (rarely basally con nate)12a. Corolla regular. Fruit a cap

sule or drupe or otherwisebut not a legume orlomentum

13a. Stamens monadelphousMalvaceae

13b. Stamens freeCombretaceae

12b. Corolla irregular. Fruit always a legume or lomentum

14a. Flowers papilionaceous,petals not distinctly free,basally connate

Fabaceae14b. Flowers caesalpini-

aceous, petals distinctlyfree Caesalpiniaceae

11b. Petals united15a. Plants with latex or

milky sap or milkyjuice

16a. Leaves alternateConvolvulaceae

16b. Leaves oppositeAsclepiadaceae

15b. Plants without latex ormiky sap or milkyjuice

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17a. Cystoliths present. Flo-ral bracts and bracteolesprominent. Fruit a capsule dehiscing elasti-cally and retinaculasupporting the seeds

Acanthaceae17b. Cystoliths absent. Flo-

ral bracts andbracteoles absent.Fruit a drupe, not dehiscing as above

Verbanaceae1b. Stem without central pith. Flowers usually trimerous

18a. Stems solid, un-branched, trique-trous. Leaves inbasal tufts, ligulesabsent. Floretsborne axillary. Pla-centa free central.

Cyperaceae18b. Stems usually hollow,

branched. Leaves notin basal tufts, ligulespresent. Florets borneterminal. Placentaparietal.

Poaceae

The families Myrsinaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Meliaceae,Sonneratiaceae, Avicenniaceae, Aizoaceae, Tamaricaceae,Combretaceae, Caesalpiniaceae, Convolvulaceae, Asclepiadaceae,

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Acanthaceae, Verbenaceae and Cyperaceae are represented by onegenus each. The key to genera are given for Rhizophoraceae,Fabaceae, Malvaceae, Chenopodiaceae and Poaceae families.Except the genera Rhizophora, Bruguiera, Avicennia, Sonneratia,Suaeda and Xylocarpus, all the other genera are represented byonly one species each. Hence, the key to species are provided for theabove genera.

Key to the GeneraRHIZOPHORACEAE

Flowers ebracteolate; calyx 8-13-lobed; petals 2-lobed.Bruguiera

Flowers bracteolate; calyx 4-6 lobed ; petals not lobed.

Petals with appendages Ceriops

Petals without appendages Rhizophora

FABACEAE

Trees, Leaflets alternate; pods not winged Dalbergia

Climbing or twinning shrubs, Leaflets opposite; pods usually wingedDerris

MALVACEAE

Trees with yellow latex; young parts covered with lepidotes;stigmas coherent

Thespesia

Small trees without latex; young parts covered with stellate hairs;stigmas distinct

Hibiscus

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CHENOPODIACEAE

Stems jointed, leafless Salicornia

Stems not jointed, leafy throughout Suaeda

POACEAE

Stems prostrate Aeluropus

Stems erect and tall

Stems densely tufted, erect from a stout sheathed root-stockMyriostachya

Stems not tufted, erect from a creeping rhizomePorteresia

Key to SpeciesRhizophora

Inflorescence 2-flowered; petals glabrous; stamens 12R. apiculata

Inflorescence more than 2-flowered (4-8); petals hairy; stamensmostly eight

R. mucronata

Bruguiera

Flowers solitary, red, 3 - 4 cm long B. gymnorrhizaFlowers (-2)-3-(-5), white, less than 2 cm. long B. cylindrica

SonneratiaPetals absent S. apetala

Petals present S. alba

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Avicennia

Stem blackish in colour; leaves lanceolate; inflorescence spicate;capsules ellipsoid

A. alba

Stem greyish in colour; leaves obovate or elliptic; inflorescenceumbellate; capsules ovoid;

Trees, 10-30 m tall; leaves obovate; capsules broadly ovoid,beaked A. officinalis

Shrubs or small trees, 0.5-6m tall; leaves elliptic; capsulesapiculate A. marina

Suaeda

Leaves terete, 5-12mm; long, bracteoles pectinateS. nudiflora

Leaves not terete, more than 12mm longS. maritima

Xylocarpus

Buttresses present; root suckers absentX. granatum

Buttresses absent; root suckers presentX. moluccensis

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DESCRIPTION OF SPECIES

Aegiceras corniculatum (L.) Blanco, Fl. Filip. ed. 1. 79. 1837; Gamble,Fl. Pres. Madras 2:532. 1957 (repr. ed.); Rhizophora corniculata L.Amoen. Acad. 4: 123. 1759. Aegiceras majus Gaertn. Fruct. 1: 216. t.46. f. 1. 1788; Wight, III. 2: t. 146. 1850; Clarke in Hook. F. Fl. Brit.India 3 : 533. 1882. : Field No: MSSRF 18 : MYRSINACEAE

pointed, coriaceous, yellowish brown with persistent imbricate calyx;mesocarp spongy; epicarp membranous; hypocotyle 3-4 cm long, curved,pointed.

Local name : Guggilam

Flowering and Fruiting : June - October; flowering and fruitingthroughout the year

Distribution : Common

entire, retuse oremarginate at apex,cuneate at base;petioles 5-9 mm long.Flowers 1.5-2 cm long,white, fragrant,subsessile, mostly inleaf-opposed umbels.Fruits 6-8 cm long,falcate, sharply

Small, 2-4 m tallevergreen trees; stemsmuch branched, withbrownish grey barkand broom-shapedstilt roots arising frombase. Leaves 4-8.5 x2-4.5 cm, alternate,obovate or ovate-oblong, coriaceous,

33

Rhizophora apiculata Blume. Enum. Pl. Jav. 1:91, 1827. R. candelariaDC. Prodr. 3: 32. 1828; Gamble, Fl. Pres. Madras 1 : 323. 1957 (repr.ed.). R. conjugata auct. Non L. 1753; Henslow in Hook. F. Fl. Brit.India 2: 436. 1878. Field No: MSSRF 19 : RHIZOPHORACEAE

Trees, 5-6 m tall, 30-100 cm indiam.; stem base without tap rootsystem from beginning;supporting stilt roots aerial, manybranched; branches sympodial.Leaves 10-20 x 5-9 cm, elliptic-oblong, sub-lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, decussate, entire,coriaceous, acute, apiculate atapex, cuneate at base. Flowers10-12 mm long, yellow, sessile,paired in upper axils from cupularinvolucres, peduncles short, 4-6mm long. Fruits 2.5-3 cm across,obpyriform, solid, brown;hypocotyle 20-30 cm long,smooth, cylindrical, pointedtowards the radical end.

Local name : Ponna


Distribution : Eastern side of Gaderu river and inRathikalava R.F. in Godavari andNachugunta R.F. in Krishna

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Rhizophora mucronata Poir. in Lam. Tabl. Encycl. 2:517, 1794 & Lam.Tabl. Encycl. 1: t. 396. f. 2. 1797 ; Henslow in Hook. F. Fl. Brit. India 2:435. 1878; Gamble, Fl. Pres. Madras 1 : 323. 1957 (repr. ed.). Field No:MSSRF 11 : RHIZOPHORACEAE

Trees, up to 5 m. tall, with many upwardly growing branches; leaf scarsprominent, close : stem - base supported by numerous branched stilt-roots. Leaves 10-18 x 4-10 cm, broadly elliptic or ovate-oblong,coriaceous, abruptly acute or blunt with a rolled up tip (mucro) at apex,cuneate at base. Flowers in axiallary cymes, 4-8 in number, pedicellate,cream coloured, fragrant; calyx 12-14 mm long, ovate; petals 9-10 mmlong, lanceolate, fleshy, villose; stamens 6-8 mm long, 8 in number, 4episepalous, 4 epipetalous; styles 1-2 mm; free part of ovary emergingmuch above the disk. Hypocotyle 30-65 cm long, cylindrical.

Local name : Ponna

Flowering and Fruiting : Season: June - October; flowering andfruiting throughout the year

Distribution : Less common

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Ceriops decandra (Griff.) Ding Hou in Steenis, Fl. Males. Ser. 1.5. :471, 1958. Bruguiera decandra Griff. in Trans. Med. Soc. Calcutta 8 :10. 1836. Ceriops roxburghiana Arn. In Ann. Nat. Hist. 1 : 364. 1838;Henslow in Hook. F. Fl. Brit. India 2 : 436. 1878; Gamble, Fl. Pres.Madras 1 : 324. 1957 (repr. ed.). Field No: MSSRF 28 : RHIZOPHORACEAE

Trees, about 2-3 m tall, stem reddish brown, much-branched; bark light-grey, lenticular fissures, peeling in thin flakes; stem base pyramidal inoutline, with many stilt roots. Leaves 5-14 x 4-10 cm, obovate or elliptic-oblong, coriaceous, rounded or emarginate at apex, cuneate at base; petioles1.5-2 cm long. Flowers white, 3-4 mm across, resinous, 8-14 flowered,condensed cymes arranged in the axils of several nodes or form upperaxils of branchlets; calyx lobes not reflexed; petals not cohering, fringedat apex; stamens 1 mm long, anthers much longer than filaments. Fruitsovoid, conical, hypocotyle 12-14 cm long, angular, sulcate.

Local name : Thogara


Distribution : Common in the Godavari mangroves

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Bruguiera cylindrica (L.) Blume Enum. Pl. Jav. 1 : 93, 1827, quoadbasionym; Wight & Arn. Prodr. 311. 1834; Gamble, Fl. Pres. Madras 1: 325. 1957 (repr. ed.). Rhizophora cylindrica L. Sp. Pl. 443. 1753.Bruguiera caryophylloides (Burm. F.) Blume, Enum. Pl. Jav. 1: 93. 1827;Henslow in Hook. F. Fl. Brit. India 2:438. 1878. Rhizophoracaryophyloloides Burm. F. Fl. Ind. 109. 1768. Bruguiera malabaricaArn. in Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 1 : 369. 1838; Henslow in Hook. f. Fl.Brit. India 2: 438. 1878. Field No: MSSRF 24 : RHIZOPHORACEAE

Trees, 2-3 m. tall, stems smooth, lenticellate; stem base buttressed, withmany knee roots; twigs bronze-coloured with stipular scars. Leaves 8-16.5 x 5.5-6.5 cm, oblanceolate, or rarely elliptic, thick, coriaceous,bronze-green, acute at apex, cuneate at base; petioles 3-3.5 cm long;flowers white, 1-11.3 cm across, 3, in axially pedunclate cymes;peduncles 7-8 mm long; pedicels very short, not articulated; calyx tubessmooth, cup-shaped, not ribbed, lobes variable in numbers usually 8-9,or 10, reflexed, each 8-10 mm long; petals white, as many as the calyxlobes, each 8-10 mm long, bilobed, tip of petal lobes rounded, with 3cilias in each, sinus of petal lobes with one long bristle; margins ofpetals mediumly hairy throughout. Hypocotyle 10-14 cm long, 5 mm indiam., more or less cylindric, straight or slightly curved towards apex.

Local name : Urudu


Distribution : Found near Gaderu river

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Bruguiera gymnorrhiza (L.) Savigny in Lam. Encycl. 4: 696, 1798;“gymnorrhiza”; Henslow in Hoo. f. Fl. Brit. India 2: 437. 1878.Rhizophora gymnorrhiza L. Sp. Pl. 443. 1753, “gymnorrhiza”. Bruguieraconjugata Merr. in Philipp. J. Sci. 9 : 118. 1914, non Rhizophoraconjugata Merr. in Philipp. J. Sci. 9 : 118. 1914, non Rhizophoraconjugata L. 1753; Gamble, Fl. Pres. Madras 1 : 324. 1957 (repr. ed.).Field No: MSSRF 21 : RHIZOPHORACEAE

Trees, 2-4 m tall, 30-60 cm in diam.; bark rough, fissured, corkylenticellate; stem base shortly buttressed with many geniculatepneumatophores. Leaves 12.5-20.5 x 5.5-7.5 cm, elliptic oblong orovate-elliptic, thick coriaceous, dark green, entire, acute at apex, obtuseat base; petioles reddish green in colour. Flowers scarlet, up to 3.5-4cm, solitary; calyx tubes ribbed, 10 - 14 - lobed, petals as many as calyxlobes, 13-17 mm long, two-lobed, caducous, embracing a pair of stamens,each lobe reflexed at tip; tip of petal lobe acute, with 2-4 cilias; sinus ofpetal with one straight bristle; margin of petal glabrous or hairy; sinusbristles, apical cilias and marginal hairs, very variable in numbers andsizes with many intergrading forms; stamens 9-12 mm long; antherslinear; style 12-17 mm long, 3-fid. Hypocotyl angular, cigar shaped,15-17 x 1.5-2.5 cm, narrowed at apex.

Local name : Kandringa


Distribution : Found only near Gaderu river,Bhairavapalem R.F., Rathikalava R.F.

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Sonneratia apetala Buch.-Ham. in Symes, Embassy Ava 3 : 477. 1800;Clarke in Hook. f. Fl. Brit. India 2:579. 1879; Gamble, Fl. Pres. Madras1 : 363. 1957 (repr. ed.). Field No: MSSRF 27 : SONNERATIACEAE

Trees, 4-6 m. tall, 30-80 cm in diam., with dense crowns; stems withmany pale-green, soft drooping branches; bark thin, light brown,irregularly fissured; stem base not buttressed, provided with 15-30 cmlong, peg-like, corky pneumatophores; pneumatophores sometimesforked twice or thrice. Leaves 5-14 x 2-3.5 cm, narrowly elliptic-oblongor oblanceolate, coriaceous, attenuate at base, tapering towards apex.Flowers 1.5-2 cm across, apetalous, green or yellowish-white, in axiallysolitary or terminal 3-flowered dichasia or 7-flowered cymes from thebranch-axils. Fruits 2-2.5 cm across, smooth globes, many seededberries, shortly pointed at apex.

Local name : Kaalinga

Flowering and Fruiting : July - November

Distribution : Common near Coringa river mouth

39

Sonneratia alba J. Smith in Recs. Cycl. 33(2); 1819; Back. & v. Steenis(l.c.) 85; Clarke in Hook.f. Fl. Brit. India 2: 580, 1879; Mooney in Suppl.Bot. Bihar & Orissa 251, 1950. Field No: MSSRF 33 : SONNERATIACEAE

Trees 5-10 m tall, 20-60 cm in diam., with pneumatophores. Leaves 5-10 x 3-5.5 cm, obovate, coriaceous, cuneate at base, rounded at apex.Flowers 4-6 cm across, white, solitary or in dischasia or terminalbranchlets. Fruits 4-5 cm across, ovoid-globose, apex concave-depressedwith tip pointed, base resting on cup-shaped calyx-tube; calyx lobes 6-7, reflexed. Seeds many.

Ecology: Rare along the outer zones of muddy seashores, on sandy orhard calcareous substratum, covered with oyster shells.

Local name : Pedha Kalingi, Adavi gummadi

Flowering and Fruiting : February - October

Distribution : Rare - Near Gaderu river mouth

40

Avicennia alba Blume Bijdr. 821, 1826; Wight, Ic. t. 1482. 1849;Gamble, Fl. Pres. Madras 2:774. 1957 (repr. ed.); A. officinalis L. var.alba (Blume) Clarke in Hook. f. Fl. Brit. India 4 : 604. 1885. Field No:MSSRF 13 : AVICENNIACEAE

Shrubs or small trees, 4-10 m tall, stems 20-50 cm in diam., glabrous,black coloured with thin lenticellate bark. Tap roots absent;pneumatophores 8-15 cm long, straight, narrowly pointed, often hookedat apex. Leaves 8-15 x 2.5-4 cm, lanceolate, dark green or black, shiningabove, silvery papillose below, acute or acuminate at apex, cuneate atbase. Flowers 3-6 mm across, yellow, fragrant, arranged in axiallary orterminal spikes; peduncles 2.5-3.5 cm long, branched. Ovary ovoid-oblong, upper-half with patent adpressed hairs, lower-half glabrous; style1-1.5 mm long; stigma minute, with two equal lobes. Capsules 3-4 cmlong, ovoid or ellipsoid, narrowly acuminate, slightly curved at apex,densely tomentose throughout. Seeds often germinate while attachedto the mother plant (incipient vivipary).

Local name : Ilava Mada

Flowering and Fruiting : August - November

Distribution : Common near the Coringa river mouth,along the Godavari river in MatlatippaR.F., and near Balusutippa.

41

Avicennia officinalis L. Sp. Pl. 110. 1753; Clarke in Hook.f. Fl. Brit.India 4:604. 1885; Gamble, Fl. Pres. Madras 2 : 774. 1957 (repr. ed.). A.tomentosa sensu Wight, Ic. t. 1481. 1849, non Jacq. 1760. Field No:MSSRF 9 : AVICENNIACEAE

Trees, 4-10 m tall, stems 70-150 cm in diam., glabrous, much branched;bark thin, ash-coloured, tap root absent; pneumatophores 10-20 cm long,straight, pointed, lenticellate, often forked with hook-like bending atapex. Leaves 6-10 x 3-6.5 cm, obovate or broadly ovate-oblong,coriaceous, dark-green above, silvery-papillose beneath, rounded at apex,narrowed at base. Flowers up to 1 cm long, yellow, fragrant, in axillaryor terminal head-like congested cymes; peduncles 8-15 cm long,trichotomously branched. Stamens usually excluded; ovary conical,densely adpressed pubescent throughout; styles 2-2.5 mm long,pubescent; stigma capitate, unequally 2-lobed. Capsules broadly ovoid,almond-shaped, densely silvery papillose, beaked at apex.

Local name : Nalla Mada

Flowering and Fruiting : July - October

Distribution : Common in Godavari mangroves

42

Avicennia marina (Forssk.) Vierh. in Denkschr. Kaiserl. Akad. Wiss.,Math.-Naturwiss. Kl. 71 : 435. 1907; Gamble, Fl. Pres. Madras 2 : 774.1957 (repr. ed.). Sceura marina Forssk. Fl. Aeg. – Arab. 37. 1775. FieldNo: MSSRF 22 : AVICENNIACEAE

Shrubs or small bushy trees, 3-6 m tall, 10-20 cm in diam.; stemsglabrous, much branched; bark thin, yellowish-grey, tap root absent;pneumatophores 3-10 cm long, narrowly pointed, straight, not branchedor hooked. Leaves 5-6 x 2.5-3 cm, elliptic-oblong, coriaceous, dark-green, shining above, yellowish papillose beneath, acute or obtuse atapex, cuneate at base. Flowers 2-4 mm across, yellow,, fragrant, 6-10,crowded in terminal condensed cymes; peduncles trichotomouslybranched. Stamens included. Ovary globose, densely pubescent; stylesvery short, glabrous; stigmas minutely bilobed. Capsules ovoid, halfthe size of A. officinalis, apiculate at apex.

Local name : Thella Mada

Flowering and Fruiting : August - November


43

Xylocarpus granatum Koen. in Naturforscher (Halle) 20 : 2. 1784; X.obovatus (Blume) A. Juss. in Mem. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat. 19 : 244.1830; Gamble, Fl. Pres. Madras 1 : 132. 1957 (repr. ed.). Carapa obovataBlume. Bijdr. 179. 1825. C. moluccensis auct. non Lam. 1784; Bedd.Fl. Sylv. t. 136. 1871; Hiern in Hook. f. Fl. Brit. India 1: 567. 1875.Field No: MSSRF 31 : MELIACEAE

Trees, 10-15 m tall, 60-80 cm in girth; stems buttressed; bark smooth,yellowish-white with papery flakes. Leaves unijugate or bijugate, lowerpairs subopposite; leaflets 6-10 x 3-5 cm, obovate, entire, coriaceous,rounded at apex, tapering at base. Flowers 5-7 mm across, white, redglandular within, on short sparingly-branched, axillary thyrses; calyx4-lobed; petals 4, free; staminal teeth 0.5-1mm long, exceeding antherlobes. Ovary 4-locular; style short; stigmas copular. Fruits 30-40cmacross, spherical, pendulous, septifragal capsules, splitting tardily into4 valves. Seeds more than 15; each 4-7 x 3-4 cm pyramidal or triangular;testacorky.

Ecology: Common along the intertidal regions in the tidal forests, usuallyin association with Rhizophora apiculata, and Sonneratia apetala.

Local name : Senuga

Flowering and Fruiting : June - September

Distribution : Rare – Kothapalem R.F., KrishnaMangroves

44

Xylocarpus moluccensis (Lam.) M. Roem. Syn. Hesper. 124, 1846;Harms, in Engl.& Prant. Pfam. Ed. 2, 19bI 84, 1940; Adelbert in Blumea6(1);314, 1947-48. Carapa moluccensis Lamk. Encycl. 1:621, 1785;Hiern. in Hook.f. Fl. Brit. India 1:567, 1875. Field No: MSSRF 7 :MELIACEAE

Large trees up to 10 m tall, trunk up to 60 cm in diam. at base, buttressed:bark red with thick flakes; wood red in colour; pneumatophores woody.Leaflets 7-12 x 3-6 cm, ovate, acute at apex, oblique at base. Flowers2-3 cm across, white with red glands inside; staminal teeth obscure,anthers exceeding in the teeth; stigma cup shaped. Fruits 10-15 cmacross, globose.

Local name : Senuga


Distribution : Rare - Eastern side of Gaderu river,Bhairavapalem R.F., Kothapalem R.F. andin Rathikalava R.F.

45

Lumnitzera racemosa Willd. in Ges. Naturf. Freunde Berlin NeueSchriften 4 : 187. 1803; Clarke in Hook. f. Fl. Brit. India 2 : 452, 1878;Gamble, Fl. Pres. Madras 1:331. 1957 (repr. ed.). Field No: MSSRF 12:COMBRETACEAE

Small trees, 2-4 m tall, without pneumatophores; bark reddish-brown,lenticellate. Leaves 4-8.5 x 1.5-3.5 cm, obovate, thick, coriaceous, entire,emarginate at apex, cuneate at base; petioles very short. Flowers 9-11mm long, white, sessile in axillary spikes; receptacles 3-5 mm long,tubular, with two adnate, persistent bracteoles. Ovary oblong, elongated,4-5 carpellary, unilocular, ovules pendulous from the top of placenta.Fruits 8-10 x 4-6 mm, compressed, woody, ellipsoid, 1-seeded drupes.Seeds elongated, pointed towards apex.

Local name : Thanduga

Flowering and Fruiting : October-January


46

Excoecaria agallocha L. Syst. Nat. ed. 10. 1288. 1759; Wight, Ic. t.1865 B. 1852; Hook. in Hook. f. Fl. Brit. India 5 : 472. 1888; Gamble,Fl. Pres. Madras 2 : 941. 1957 (repr. ed.). Field No: MSSRF 16 :EUPHORBIACEAE

Evergreen trees with milky acrid juice, 3-8 m tall, 10-40 cm in diam.,barks greyish-white, smooth, lenticellate, wood soft, light. Tap rootinsignificant, lateral roots spreading like snakes intermingled each other,supraterranean bands produce elbow-shaped pegs instead ofpneumatophores. Leaves 2-8 x 1.5-3 cm, ovate, ovate-elliptic or ovate-oblong, coriaceous, shining dark-green, turning red before shedding, obtuseor acute at apex, narrowed at base. Flowers unisexual, fragrant, maleflowers 2-3 mm across, sessile, yellow, in axially many flowered catkin-like spikes spikes 3-7 cm long; female flowers 2.5-3.5 mm across,pedicellate, in axially few-flowered racemes, racemes 1-2.5 cm long. Fruits1-1.5 cm across, depressed globes, 3-lobed. Seeds sub-globose, smooth.

Local name : Thilla

Flowering and Fruiting : June - October

Distribution : Common

47

Scyphiphora hydrophyllacea Gaertn. f. Fruct. 3: 91. t. 196. 1805; Hook.f. Fl. Brit. India 3: 125. 1880; Gamble, Fl. Pres. Madras 2 : 438. 1957(repr. ed.). Field No: MSSRF 10 : RUBIACEAE

Small trees resembling Lumnitzera racemosa, branchlets stout, swollenat the nodes. Leaves coriaceous, obovate; stipules interpetiolar, short.Flowers small in dense axillary shortly pedunculate cymes. Calyx-tubeelongate; limb cupular, truncate, 4 – 5 - toothed. Corolla tube cylindric;lobes 4-5, oblong, spreading or recurved, twisted in bud. Stamens 4-5,between the corolla lobes; anthers linear-sagittate. Disk annular. Ovary2-celled; ovules 2 in each cell, on the middle of the septum; style filiformwith linear branches. Fruit a subcylindric 8-10 - grooved drupe with 2crustaceous connate pyrenes. Seeds subcylindric; testa membranous;albumen scanty; cotyledons oblong.

Local name : Naara thanduga

Flowering and Fruiting : May - August

Distribution : Rare and endemic, found only inKothapalem R.F.

48

Acanthus ilicifolius L. Sp. Pl. 639. 1753; Clarke in Hook. f. Fl. Brit.India 4 : 481. 1884; Gamble, Fl. Pres. Madras 2 : 712. 1957 (repr. ed.).Dilivaria ilicifolia (L.) Juss. Gen. Pl. 103. 1789; Wight, Ic. t. 459. 1841.Field No: MSSRF 34 : ACANTHACEAE

Erect, ascending or scandent,thistly herbs or undershrubs,0.3-1 m. tall; stems terete, oftenprovided with aerial roots,glabrous, with two sharp spinesin leaf axils. Leaves 5-11 x 3-10 cm, decussate, ovate-oblongor lanceolate, coriaceous,margins spiny, narrowed atbase, spiny at apex. Flowers3.5-4 cm long, violet, pubescentwithin, arranged in terminalspikes; spikes simple orbranched, 5-20 cm long; bractscaducous at or before anthesis;bracteoles 3-4 mm long,subtending the calyx. Capsules2-3 cm in diam., ovoid-oblong,compressed, apiculate, shininggreen or brown. Seedsreniform.

Local name : Aalchi

Flowering and Fruiting : May - August

Distribution : Abundant along the creeks and associatedwith Myriostachya wightiana andFimbristylis sp.

49

Dalbergia spinosa Roxb. Fl. Ind. ed. Carey 3:233, 1832; Baker in Hook.f.Fl. Brit. India 2:238, 1876; Gamble, Fl. Pres. Madras 2:269. 1957 (repr.ed.). Banerjee et al in Mangroves, Associates and salt marshes of theGodavari and Krishna delta, 89, 1998. Field No: MSSRF 30 : FABACEAE

Small brushy trees, 4-6 m tall; branchets many, horizontal, ending in ahard spine. Leaves 6-9 cm. long, crowded at the nodes ofspinousbranchlets; leaflets 9-11, alternate, each 1-2.5 X 0.5-1 cm, ellipticor obovate, glabrous, obtuse or emarginate at apex, rounded or cuneateat base. Flowers 2-3 mm across, whitish purple, in axially lateralracemes. Pods 2.5-3 cm long, thin, glabrous, kidney-shaped, 1-2 - seeded.

Local name : Chillinga

Flowering and Fruiting : October-January


50

Derris trifoliata Lour. Fl. Cochinch. 2:433. 1790; Thoth. in Bull. Bot.Surv. India 3:181, 1961. D. uliginosa (Roxb.) Benth. in Miq. Pl. Jungh,1:252. 1852; Baker in Hook.f. Fl. Brit. India 2:241, 1878; Gamble, Fl.Pres. Madras 1:273, 1957 (repr.ed.) Galedupa uliginosa Roxb. Fl. Ind.3: 243, 1832. : Field No: MSSRF 14 : FABACEAE

Large woody climbing shrubs,branches wiry, strong, lenticellate.Leaves imparipinnate, 6-15 cm.Long; leaflets 5-10 x 2-3.5 cm,ovate-oblong, acute at apex.Rounded at base, shining. Flowerswhite, 4-6 cm, across, in axillaryracemes. Pods 3-4 cm, flatnarrowly winged along the suture,1-seeded.

Local name : Nalla theega

Flowering and Fruiting : October - January

Distribution : Common in less saline areas

51

Caesalpinia crista L. Sp. Pl. 380. 1753; Gamble, Fl. Pres. Madras1: 278. 1957 (repr. ed.); C. bonducella (L.) Fleming in Asiat. Res. 11:159.1810; Baker in Hook. f. Fl. Brit. India 2 : 254, 1878. Guilandiabonducella L.Sp.Pl.ed. 2.545.1762. Field No: MSSRF 15 :CAESALPINIACEAE

Large climbers, armed with hooked prickles. Leaves 18-30 cm long,decompound; pinnae 2-6 pairs; rachies unarmed or sparingly aculeate, 3-10 cm long; leaflets ovate or elliptic-oblong, subcoriaceous, pale glaucousbeneath, acute at apex, obtuse at base. Flowers 1.5-2 cm long, deep yellow,fragrant, in axially or supra-axillary branched racemes. Pods 4-5 x3-3.5cm, ellipsoid, flat, compressed, beaked. Seeds 1, flat, smooth.

Local name : Rakkisi

Flowering and Fruiting : October-February

Distribution : Common in the landward side

52

Sarcolobus carinatus Wall. in Asiat. Res. 12:570, t. 5, 1816; Hook.inHook.f. Fl. Brit. India 4:28, 1883; Banerjee et al in Mangroves,Associates and salt marshes of the Godavari and Krishna delta, 59, 1998.Field No: MSSRF 20 : ASCLEPIADACEAE

Glabrous, twining shrubs with fleshy-rhizomes bearing roots. Leavesfleshy, variable, 3-7.5 x 2-5.5 cm, broadly elliptic or narrowly elliptic-oblong, entire coriaceous, acute or obtuse at apex, rounded at base.Flowers 2-3 mm across, yellowish-white, in axially pedunculate cymes;corolla glabrous within; peduncles 5-8 mm long, thick. Follicles 4-6 x2.5-3 cm, ellipsoid, keeled along the dorsal suture; seeds flattened,shortly-winged, not comose.Local name : Palaboddu theega


Distribution : Common - Associated mostly withExcoecaria. Tender fruits are edible

53

Ipomoea pes-caprae (L.) R. Br. in Tuckey, Narr. Exp. Zaire 477. 1818;Gamble, F1. Pres Madras 2 : 644. 1957 (repr. ed.). Convolvulus pes-caprae L. Sp. Pl. 159. 1753. Ipomoea biloba Forssk. Fl. Aeg.-Arab.44. 1775; Clarke in Hook. f. Fl. Brit. India 4:212. 1883. Field No: MSSRF35 : CONVOLVULACEAE

Leaves emarginately more or less deeply 2-lobed, prostrate herbs of thesea-shore ; sepals oblong, obtuse, apiculate, the outer smaller than theinner, 3-5 in . long, glabrous ; corolla tubular-funnel-shaped, up to 2-5in. long; leaves thick, fleshy, parallel-nerved up to 2 in. long, 3-5 in.broad ; seeds with golden brown pubescence, 3 in. in diam.


Distribution : Common in the sandy shores

54

Ipomoea tuba (Schlechtend.) G. Don, Gen. Syst. 4:271, 1838; Verdcourtin Fl. Trop. E. Africa Convol: 137, 1963; Ooststr. in Fl. Mal. 4:487,1953. Convolvulus tuba Schlechtend. in Linnaea 6:735, 1831. Ipomoeagrandiflora Clarke in Hook.f. Fl. Brit. India. 4:198, 1883, non (Linn.f.)Lamk. (1791). I. glaberrima Hook.in Hook. Journ. Bot. 1:357, 1834.Banerjee et al in Mangroves, Associates and salt marshes of the Godavariand Krishna delta, 76, 1998. Field No: MSSRF 36 : CONVOLVULACEAE

Glabrous, perennial twiners; stems more or less woody, longitudinallywrinkled, straw-coloured. Leaves 7-14 x 6-11 cm, broadly ovate ororbicular, entire cordate at base, acuminate at apex; petioles 3-12 cmlong. Flowers 6-15 cm long, white, axially, solitary or rarely in 2-flowered cymes; corolla salver-shaped with 7-8 cm long tube. Fruits 2-3 cm in diam., globose, pale brown. Seeds 4, hairy along margins.

Local name : Thella theega



55

Myriostachya wightiana (Nees ex Steud.) Hook. f. Fl. Brit. India 7 :327. 1896; Bor, Grass. Burma Ceylon India Pakistan 518. 1960.Leptochloa wightiana Nees ex Steud. Syn. Pl. Glumac. 1 : 209. 1854.Field No: MSSRF 41 : POACEAE

Gregarious perennial grass, stem densely tufted, erect from a sheathedrootstock, 1-2 m tall. Leaves 1-1.5 m long, linear, smooth, acuminate.Ligule absent. Panicle 15-20 cm with smooth rachis. Spikelets smooth,pedicellate, compressed; glumes unequal with scaberulous keels.

Local name : Darbha gaddi


Distribution : Common along the creeks

56

Aeluropus lagopoides (L.) Trin. ex Thw. Enum. Pl. Zeyl. 374. 1864,“lagopodioides”; Fischer in Gamble, Fl. Pres. Madras 3: 1276. 1957(repr. ed.); Bor, Grass. Burma Ceylon India & Pakistan 380. 1960.Dactylis lagopoides L. Mant. Pl. 33. 1767. Aeluropus villosus Trin. exC. Meyer, Verz. Pfl. Casp. Meer. 18. 1831; Hook.f. Fl. Brit. India 7 :334; 1896. Field No: MSSRF 40 : POACEAE

Small much branched grass with terminal globose flower-heads.Common all along coasts and interior saltpans.

Local name : Gaddi

Flowering and Fruiting : December - March

Distribution : Common in degraded areas

57

Porteresia coarctata (Roxb.) Tateoka in Bull. Nat. Sci. Mus. Tokyo8:406, 1965; Henry in Bull. Bot. Surv. India 11:214, 1969. Oryzacoarctata Roxb. Fl. Ind. 2:206, 1932; Hook.f. Fl. Brit. India 7:93, 1896.Sclerophyllum coarctatum (Roxb.) Griff. Notul. 3:8, 1851 non Gaud(1829). Indoryza coarctata Roxb. Fl. Ind. 2:206, 1832; Henry & Roy inBull. Bot. Surv. India 10:274, 1968. Banerjee et al in Mangroves,Associates and salt marshes of the Godavari and Krishna delta, 102,1998. Field No: MSSRF 23 : POACEAE

Stems erect from a stout creeping rhizome, 50-70 cm tall. Leaves unequalsided, rigid scaberulous. Panicle 9-12 cm long with trigonous rachis.Spikelets imbricate, chartaceous; glumes one and two short, setaceous;glume three smooth, narrow, dorsally winged ending into a rigid awn.

Local name : Yellu gaddi


Distribution : Common near the river mouths

58

Fimbristylis ferruginea (L.) Vahl, Enum. Pl. 2: 291. 1805; Clarke inHook.f. Fl. Brit. India 6: 638. 1893; Fischer in Gamble, Fl. Pres. Madras3 : 1151. 1957 (repr. ed.). Scirpus ferrugineus L. Sp. Pl. 50. 1753. FieldNo: MSSRF 39 : CYPERACEAE

Perennial with creeping rhizome. Stems 20-28 cm tufted; base clothedwith rusty scales. Leaves 5-6 cm, narrow. Umbel with 4-6 spikelets,sometimes branched; glumes puberulous below tip. Style bifid; nutobovoid, brownish.

Local name : Gaddi


Distribution : Common along the creeks, often associatedwith Porteresia and Myriostachya

59

Suaeda maritima (L.) Dumort. Fl. Belg. 22, 1827; Hook. f. Fl. Brit.India 5 : 14. 1886; Gamble, f. Fl. Pres. Madras 2 : 829. 1957 (repr. ed.).Chenopodium maritimum L. Sp. Pl. 221. 1753. Suaeda nudiflora (Willd.)Moq. in DC. Prodr. 13 (2) : 155. 1849; Wight, Ic. t. 1796. 1852; Hook.f. Fl. Brit. India 5 : 14. 1886; Gamble, Fl. Pres. Madras 2 : 829. 1957(repr. ed.). Salsola nudiflora Willd. Sp. Pl. 1 : 1313. 1798. Field No:MSSRF 22 : CHENOPODIACEAE

Local name : Eelakura

Flowering and Fruiting : March - May

Distribution : Common in degraded areas and salt pans;tender shoots used as leaf vegetable

Erect or ascending herbs orundershrubs; stemsglabrous, woody, much-branched, often reddish-purple. Leaves 11-35 mmlong, linear-oblong,crowded, occasionallypurple-coloured. Flowers 1mm or less across, whitish-green, in axially clusters oron slender, elongatedspikes, laxly arranged;bracteoles ovate, entire,membranous; stigmasincluded. Utricles ovoid.Seeds 0.8-1 mm in diam.,horizontal shining, brown.

60

Suaeda nudiflora (Willd.) Moq. In Ann. Sc. Nat. Ser. 23:316, 1831;Gamble, Fl. Pres. Madras 2:829. 1957 (repr. ed.); Roxb. Fl. Ind. ed.Carey 60, 1832; Hook.f. Fl. Brit. India 5:14, 1886; Wt. Ic. T. 1796,1852; Haines 2:772, 1924. Salsola nudiflora Willd. Sp. Pl. 2:1313, 1799.Banerjee et al in Mangroves, Associates and salt marshes of the Godavariand Krishna delta, 72, 1998. Field No: MSSRF 29 : CHENOPODIACEAE

Erect or ascending perennial herbs or undershrubs, 40-80 cm tall; stemsmuch-branched from the woody base, glabrous, often reddish. Leaves7-12 mm long, sessile, linear, fleshy, terere. Flowers globose, 1.5-2mm across, white, clustered in terminal spikes; bracts leafy; bracteoles1-2 mm long, ovate, acute, pectinate; petals 1-2 mm broad, obovoid,transparent with transverse thickenings at apex; stamens included. Fruitsovoid, pericarp membranous. Seeds 1-1.2 mm in diam., horizontallyarranged; testa black, shining; embryo coiled.

Local name : Eelakura


Distribution : Common in degraded areas and salt pans;tender shoots used as leaf vegetable

61

Salicornia brachiata Roxb. Fl. Ind. 1 : 84. 1832; Wight, Ic. t. 738.1844; Hook. f. Fl. Brit. India 5 : 12. 1886; Gamble, Fl. Pres. Madras 2 :828. 1957 (repr. ed.). Field No: MSSRF 38 : CHENOPODIACEAE

Erect or decumbent herbs; stems succulent, seemingly leafless, muchbranched; each segment at apex forming a little cup usually with shortteeth, embracing the base of the next higher segments. Flowers minute,usually in groups of 3, each group sunken on either side of each segment;sterile segments usually 5-10 mm long. Fruits ovoid, utriclesmembranous; seeds laterally compressed, hairy minute, white.


Distribution : Common in degraded areas and inabandoned aquafarms

62

Sesuvium portulacastrum (L.) L. Syst. Ed. 10. 1058. 1759; Clarke inHook.f. Fl. Brit. India 2 : 659. 1879; Gamble, Fl. Pres. Madras 1 : 388.1957 (repr. ed.). Portulaca portulacastrum L. Sp. Pl. 446. 1753. FieldNo: MSSRF 37 : AIZOACEAE

Succulent, perennial herbs with long taproots; stems creeping, muchbranched, greenish or red, rooting from nodes. Leaves 2-6 x 0.5-1.5cm, lanceolate, oblanceolate or spathulate, very thick, glabrous, roundedat apex, narrowed towards base. Flowers 5-8 mm long, deep purple orpinkish-violet, axillary, solitary. Capsules 5-7 mm across, includedwithin the perianth, many seeded. Seeds black, reniform, smooth, withlong funicles.

Flowering and Fruiting : May - July

Distribution : Common in Godavari mangroves onmuddy tidal flats

63

Hibiscus tiliaceus L. Sp. Pl. 694. 1753; Mast. in Hook.f. Fl. Brit. India1 : 343. 1874; Dunn in Gamble, Fl. Pres. Madras 1 : 70. 1957 (repr. ed.).Paritium tiliaceum (L.) St. Hil. Fl. Bras. Merid. 1 : 256. 1828; Wight,Ic. t. 7. 1838. Field No: MSSRF 42 : MALVACEAE

Trees, 3-6 m tall; stems much branched, glabrous, close to ground level.Leaves 5-16 X 4 - 18 cm, orbicular, crenulate, stellate beneath, acure oracuminate at apex, cordate at base; stipules 2-3 cm long, subulate.Flowers 7-10 cm across, campanulate, bright yellow with crimson eyein the centre, turning bright purple when old, solitary or rarely two, onterminal peduncles; bracteoles 5-6, lanceolate. Capsules 3-5 cm across,ovoid, closely tomentose, splitting into 5 mericarps. Seeds black withpale dots.

Local name : Attakanara

Flowering and Fruiting : June-July


64

Thespesia populneoides (Roxb.) Kostel. Allg. Med. Pharm. Fl. 5:1861.1836; Fosberg and Sachet in Smithsonian Contr. Bot. 7 : 10. 1972.Hibiscus populneoides Roxb. Fl. Ind. 3 : 181. 1832. Thespesia populneasensu Mast. in Hook. f. Fl. Brit. India 1 : 345. 1874 p.p., non (L.) Soland.ex Correa 1807. Field No: MSSRF 43 : MALVACEAE

Trees, 3-6 m tall, young twigs covered with bronze-coloured lepidotes.Leaves 7-10 x 5-8 cm, deltoid to cordate or subcordate with shallowsinus at base, acuminate or caudate at apex; petioles 5-6 cm long; stipulesearly caducous. Flowers 3-5 cm across, yellow, red in centre, axially,solitary on a stout pedicel; pedicels 5-7 cm long, recurved in fruits.Capsules 3-4 cm across, globose, depressed at both ends, exudes deepyellow latex when young; mature fruits dehiscing apically into twodistinct layers. Seeds 6-8 mm across, ovoid, angled; angles coveredwith rough clavate hairs.

Local name : Gangaraavi

Flowering and Fruiting : June-July


65

Clerodendrum inerme (L.) Gaertn. Fruct. 1: 271. t. 75. 1788; Clarke inHook. f. Fl. Brit. India 4:589. 1885; Gamble, Fl. Pres. Madras 2 : 769.1957 (repr. ed.); Volkameria inermis L. Sp. Pl. 637. 1753 Field No:MSSRF 26 : VERBENACEAE

Straggling, much-branched shrubs 1-3 m tall; branches adpressedpubescent when young. Leaves 1.5-6 x 1-3 cm, ovate-elliptic or oblong-lanceolate, glabrous, obtuse or shallowly retuse at apex, narrowed atbase. Flowers 3-3.5 cm long, tubular, white, in terminal or axillary, 3-flowered pedunculate cymes; calyx lobes minutely toothed. Drupes1.5-2 cm long, obovoid, 4-lobed, breaking into 4 pyrenes.

Local name : Pisingi

Flowering and Fruiting : July - November


66

Tamarix troupii Hole in Ind. Forester. 14:248. 1914. T. gallica auct.non L. 1753; Dyer in Hook. f. Fl. Brit. India 1 : 248. 1874; Brandis, For.Fl. t. 5. 1874; Dunn in Gamble, Fl. Pres. Madras 1 : 48. 1957 (repr. ed.).Field No: MSSRF 17 : TAMARICACEAE

Large shrubs, 3-4 m tall. Leaves 2-3 mm long, subulate, semi-amplexicaule at base, adpressed to the younger twigs, not sheathing.Flowers 3-4 mm across, white or pink, bisexual, in lateral and terminal,pendulous racemose panicles. Capsules 4-5 mm across, 3-4-valved,tapering towards the apex. Seeds 8-10, tufted, silky hairy at apex.

Local name : Palivelu

Flowering and fruiting : June - September

Distribution : Rare, found only in Rathikalava R.F.

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REFERENCES

Banerjee, L.K. and Rao, T.A. 1990 Mangroves of Orissa coastand their ecology. Bishen Singh Mahendra Palsingh, Dehradun,India pp 118.

Banerjee, L.K., Sastry, A.R.K. and Nayar, M.P. 1989. Mangrovesin India, Identification Manual, Botanical Survey of IndiaPublications, Calcutta, pp 113.

Cooke, T. 1967. Flora of the Presidency of Bombay Vol. 1-3.Botanical Survey of India, Calcutta.

Forest Survey of India, 1998. Status of Indian Forest, Ministry ofEnvironment and Forests, Government of India, New Delhi

Gamble, J.S. 1915-1938. Flora of the Presidency of Madras Vol.1-3. (Vol. 3 by C.E.C. Fischer). Adlard & Sons Ltd., London.

Rajesh Mittal, 1993. Management Plan for Coringa WildlifeSanctuary, Andhra Pradesh Forest Department, Rajahmundry.

Sidhu, S.S. 1963. Studies on the mangroves of India I. EastGodavari region. Indian Forester 89: 337-351.

Spalding, M.D., Blasco, F. and Field, C.D. (Eds.). 1997. WorldMangrove Atlas. The International Society for MangroveEcosystems, Okinawa, Japan. 178 pp.

Subbareddi, C. 1982. The mangroves of the Godavari estuary.Proc. On Resources Development and Environment in the EasternGhats held during March 24-27, 1982.

Uma Maheswara Rao, M. and Narasimha Rao, G.M. 1988.Mangrove populations of the Godavari delta complex. Indian J.Mar. Sci. 17:326-329.

Venkateswarlu, V. 1944. The estuarial flora of the Godavari. J.Bomb. Nat. Hist. Soc. 44:431-435.

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