Rediscovery of Pavetta gardneri Bremek. (Rubiaceae) from Peninsular India with Special Reference to Phytogeographical Affinities of Sri Lanka

Submit Manuscript | http://medcraveonline.com as Ceylon, together with the Western Ghats of the Peninsular India is recognized as one of the 34 global hot spots for biological diversity [2]. Sri Lanka, one of the pristine tropical islands located between latitudes 5° 55’ and 9° 51’ N and longitudes 79° 41’ and 81° 54’ E in the Indian Ocean near to the southern tip of the Coromandel Coast of the Peninsular India, is the abode of about 3044 indigenous Angiosperms including 919 endemics [3,4]. The checklist of flowering plants of Sri Lanka by Senaratna [5] incorporated both indigenous and exotic species which contain a sum of 4143 species, 1522 genera and 214 families. This insular region offers a total land area of 65610 sq km with a coastal line of 1705 km and constituted with different terrains such as low land (below 300 m msl), upland (300 to 900m msl) and high land (above 900m msl). According to rainfall variations in Sri Lanka, three climatic zones have been recognized such as dry zone with an annual rain fall <1900mm followed by intermediate zone with an average rain fall between 1900 to 2500mm and wet zone with an average rain fall above 2500 mm [6]. Based on the climatological features, the tropical forests of Sri Lanka have been classified under 7 vegetational zones. Gunatilleke & Aston [7] recognized 15 insular floristic regions based on floristic composition or wild distribution of plant species.