Herbs dominate flowering plants in new Assam national park

Herbs dominate the flowering plants in western Assam’s Raimona National Park, one of two newly-upgraded protected areas in the State.

• A team of botanists from Bodoland University and experts from the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) also found 33 endangered species in the first systematic flowering plants diversity assessment in the 422 sq. km park under the Bodoland Territorial Region.
• Herbs comprise 33.61% of the recorded flowering plants followed by:
  • 25.88% of trees,
  • 20.87% of shrubs,
  • 11.06% of climbers,
  • 3.75% of epiphytes,
  • 2.71% of scandent shrubs,
  • 1.46% of parasitic plants and
  • 0.63% of lianas
• Lianas are plants with long, flexible, climbing stems that are rooted in the ground and usually have long dangling branches.
  
  
  
• A total of 24 species of flowering plants were recognised as invasive.
  • The five dominant families are Poaceae, Phyllanthaceae, Orchidaceae, Malvaceae and Rubiaceae. 
• Of the 33 species that were put in the RET (rare, endangered and threatened) category:
  • 15 were found to be endangered,
  • five vulnerable and
  • one rare — Flacourtia jangomas
  • A total of 12 species were placed in the “least concern”” category.

Raimona National Park:

• Raimona, known earlier as Ripu Reserve Forest, was notified in June 2021 as the sixth national park of Assam.
• Kaziranga National Park and Manas National Park, two of the five notified before it, are World Heritage Sites designated by the UNESCO.
• Raimona adjoins the Buxa Tiger Reserve in West Bengal to its west, Phipsoo Wildlife Sanctuary in Bhutan in the north, and Manas National Park to the east.
• It forms the boundary with the Sankosh River.
• Fauna:
  • Golden Langur is endemic to the park.
  • The other major animals are Asian elephant, Royal Bengal tiger, Clouded leopard, Indian gaur, Wild water buffalo, Spotted deer, Hornbill.
    
    

National parks in Assam

• Total national parks in Assam: Seven
• Kaziranga, Nameri, Orang, Manas and Dibru-Saikhowa. With Raimona and Dehing Patkai.
• Assam now is the state with the second highest number of national parks in the country, after Madhya Pradesh's 11.
• The Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar have nine national parks.