Vegetation of Mizoram for Mizoram PSC – Mizoram PSC Free Notes

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Vegetation of Mizoram

The name, Mizoram derived from Mi (people), Zo(high rise place such as hill) and Ram(land), thus, Mizoram means “Land of the hill people”.
As situated in the northeast, it is the southernmost landlocked state sharing borders with three of the seven states namely Tripura, Assam and Manipur.
Mizoram also shares 404 kilometre border with Myanmar and 318 km with Bangladesh.
The Mizo Hills were formally declared as a part of British India in 1989, north and south hills were united into a Lushai Hill Districts and it was under the administrative control of the British India.
On 25th April 1952, The Lushai Hills Autonomous District Council came into being followed by the abolition of chieftainship in the Mizo society.
Like several other northeastern states of India, Mizoram was a part of Assam until 1972, when it was declared as a Union Territory.
On 20th February 1987, it became the 23rd state of India, with Fifty-Third Amendment of Indian Constitution,1986.
Mizoram is the fifth smallest state of India with 21,087 km2 (8,142 sq mi).
It extends from 21°56’N to 24°31’N, and 92°16’E to 93°26’E.
The tropic of cancer runs through the state nearly at its middle.
Situated on a mountainous area with heavy rainfall of approximately 2500mm annually, Mizoram is richly endowed by nature with varieties of flora and fauna.
Mizoram is anointing with a pleasant climate; moderately hot during summer and extreme cold is unusual during winter.
The south-west monsoon reaches the state around May and may last upto September.

According to India State of Forest report, 2015, an area of 18,748 Sq km which is 88.93% of the total geographical area of the state, i.e. 21,081 sq km is under Forest Area.

According to the report, Mizoram has an area of 138 sq km Very Dense Forest (VDF), 5,858 sq km of Moderately Dense Forest (MDF) and an area of 12,752 sq km of Open Forest (OF).

Forest types of Vegetation of Mizoram

Based on past studies as well as from the field observations, Singh et al. (2002) described the forest types of the State based mainly on altitude, rainfall and dominant species composition. The classification is as follows:-

Tropical Wet Evergreen Forest
Montane sub-tropical Forest
Temperate Forests
Bamboo Forests
Quercus Forests

Tropical wet evergreen and semi-evergreen forests:

These forests usually occur below an altitude of 900m and form one of the major forest types of the Mizoram with rich species diversity.
Patches of these forests can be seen usually on the steep slopes, rocky and steady river banks and areas not suitable for shifting cultivation.
The exact distinction between the evergreen and semi-evergreen forests is difficult as they occur in the areas of similar characteristics where rainfall averages between 2,000-2,500mm annually and temperature varies between 20^oC to 22^o
Tropical wet evergreen forests are met usually in southern and western part of Mizoram, while semi-evergreen forests occur in northern, north-western and central part of the State.
The tropical wet evergreen forests exhibit clear zonation or canopies consisting of an admixture of numerous species with dense and impenetrable herbaceous undergrowth.
Most of the species of the top canopy are evergreen trees with tall boles. Cauliflory is rather common.
The middle and lower canopies are dense, evergreen and diverse.
Epiphytes and parasites are few. Tree ferns, aroides, palms, ferns, orchids, bryophytes and lichens are fairly common.
Lianas are frequent and conspicious, sedges and grasses are common in humid places or along the banks of rivers and rivulets.
Species of Musaare also common along the streams on hilly slopes.
In exposed and drier areas, having a thin of soil, deciduous elements along with some evergreen trees are found.
Sometimes these are grouped as distinct type, referred as tropical moist deciduous forests.
The distinction between the tropical evergreen forests and tropical moist deciduous forests is difficult as they are found in the small hill ranges.
The third storey of canopy consists of smaller trees and shrubs with maximum floristic diversity.

Montane sub-tropical forests of Vegetation of Mizoram:

These forests are usually found between 900 and 1,500 m altitude in the eastern fringes bordering Chin Hills of Myanmar, and places which are cooler and have less precipitation. Sub-tropical vegetation shows mixed pine forests.
The common species of these forests are Castanopsis purpurella Duabanga grandiflora, Myristica spp., Phoebe goalparensis, Pinus kesiya, Podocarpus neriifolia, Prunus cerasoides, Quercus acutissima, Q.semiserrata, Schima wallichii,

Temperate forests of Vegetation of Mizoram:

These forests usually occur above the elevation of 1,600m in areas like Lengteng, Naunuarzo, Pharpak, Thaltlang, Phawngpui reserve forests and display impenetrable virgin primary forests.
These forests are not typical temperate forests as found elsewhere in eastern Himalaya.
The predominant arboreal elements in the forests arePinus kesiya, Actinodaphne microptera, Betula alnoides, Exbucklandia populnea, Elaeocarpus serratus, Dillenia pentagya, Michelia doltsopa, M. Champaca, Garcinia anomala, Schisandra neglecta, Photinia intergrifolia, Litsea salicifolia, Myrica esculenta, Lithocarpus dealbata, Rhododendron arboreum,

Bamboo forests of Vegetation of Mizoram :

Bamboos usually grow as an under-storey to the tree species in tropical evergreen and sub-tropical mixed-deciduous forests, whereas Melocanna bacciferaforms dense or pure forests in certain areas in the State.
Large tracts of bamboos are seen throughout Mizoram but their distribution is somewhat restricted to about 1,600m and below.
They occur mostly between 40m and 1,520m in tropical and sub-tropical areas. Few species occur in temperature areas in Blue Mountain and Mount Chalfilh.
It appears that bamboos have resulted from jhumming system of cultivation.
For practicing jhum cultivation the forests are burnt and tree species are destroyed but the bamboo rhizomes throw out new culms as soon as favourable temperature and seasonal monsoon arrive.
Therefore, in abandoned jhumland they are the first colonizer and grow rapidly. Some important associates found growing along with bamboos are Emblica officinalis, Litsea monopetala, Pterospermum acerifolium, Terminalia myriocarpa, Caryota mitis, Artocartus chama, Duabanga grandiflora, Albizia procera, Gmelina arborea, Syzygium

Quercus forests of Vegetation of Mizoram:

These forests are mostly found intermingled in sub-tropical and temperate areas.
Pure patches or predominate Quercus griffithianais present near Champhai-Baite hill ranges and its distribution is restricted to other small areas in the eastern part of Mizoram. Lithocarpus dealbata is other main species.

Jhumland:

Jhumlands are very common in Mizoram.
They are classified variously as current jhumland, old jhumland and abandoned jhumland.
Jhumlands are more prevalent in eastern Mizoram where extensive and intensive jhumming is practiced.
Similarly, the areas in western side in Lunglei district towards Bangladesh have also Jhumlands.

Bamboo Resources in Vegetation of Mizoram

Mizoram has abundant natural Bamboo resources.
Around 57% of the geographical area of Mizoram is under Bamboo cover found at heights ranging from 400m – 1500m above mean sea level.
Bamboo forests are found mainly along the river banks and abandoned jhumland as a dominant secondary vegetation.
Both the clump forming and non-clump forming bamboos are available in most part of Mizoram except in the higher altitudes of the eastern parts of Mizoram.
There are twenty species of Bamboos in Mizoram of which Melocanna baccifera is the dominant forest resource of the state.
The dominant species M. baccifera called ‘Mautak’ is a versatile species; it is a spreading species forming no clumps.
The culms grow up to 8-10m, they are widely used for construction of Kacha houses, furniture, and fencing, weaving and pulping.
The shoots are eaten in large scale, during rainy season it forms a dominant food item.

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