Flowers of Kas By Amit Sayyed Wild Life Protection & Research Society, Satara, Maharashtra

amitsayyedsatara@gmail.com Date 21-9-2011

Introduction
Satara is district of Maharashtra and part of Western Ghat. Satara is located in the heart of West Maharashtra and midpoint for the district Pune, Sangli, Miraj, Solapur and Kolhapur Satara district is famous for hill stations including Kas, Thoseghar, Vasota, Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani and for a range of forts.satara has various type of habitation and very massive biodiversity. Satara is currently on the tip of wild life researchers, so many species From Flora and fauna has been recorded from satara.

Kas: Kas is 30 km to the West of Satara; which is called Valley of Flowers of Sahyadri.
Near about 300 plants species like insectivorous plants, shrubs, tuberous, herbs, orchids, flowers we can see in monsoon. September and October is the best months to visit this place. Hat time you will see the flowers on plateau area. Kas Plateau is one of the important part in Sahyadri rang of Western Ghat situated in Satara, Kas has globally recognized as one of the Hotspot of biodiversity due to unique ecosystem and high degree of endemism. Kas plateau is outstanding example representing significant on going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial and fresh water ecosystems and communities of plants and animals the plateau contains most important and significant natural habitats for in situ
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Conservation of biological diversity, including those containing endemic and threatened Species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science and conservation, for this reason area is nominated for worlds natural heritage site. In Maharashtra nearly 70% of plant species are found on plateaus only. The kas plateau possesses vary unique herbaceous ephemeral vegetation. It includes herbs, shrubs, climbers, bulbous, tubers, parasiti, insectivorous, epiphytic and terrestrial or saprophytic orchids. The floristic pattern of kas plateau differs due to factors like rainfall, elevation, temperature, humidity, soil, porous rock and topography. The region has status of being the plateau of flowers it is in full bloom during monsoon season. It is interesting to watch herbaceous flora of post monsoon season. Each species dominates the landscape for few weeks and carries the show until monsoon ends. Lcation: 30km West to Satara city Latitude: 17 42 to 17 45 Longitude: 73 47 to 73 56 Altitude: 1213meters ASL Temp: 15 to 30 c(Av.) Humidity: Medium Area: 1792 hectares Rainfall: 2000 to 3000 mm Annual Forest: Semi evergreen moist mixed deciduous SoilType: Lateritic

Impatiens in full bloom

Some Flowers of Kas 1) Drosera burmannii

Drosera burmannii is a small, compact species in the carnivorous plant genus Drosera. It normally spans only 2 cm (0.8 in) in diameter. It is one of the fastest trapping sundews as well, and its leaves can curl around an insect in only a few seconds, compared to the minutes or hours it takes other sundews to surround their prey. In nature, D. burmannii is an annual, but in cultivation, when grown indoors during the cold months, it can live for many years

2) Nymphoides indicum

Nymphoides indicum is aquatic, annual or perennial, erect herb, up to 50 cm long, submerged, rooting at nodes. Roots, fibrous or fleshy. Stem rounded, solid, glabrous. Stipules absent. Often two types of leaves present, young in a rosette, older ones floating at the water surface. Leaves simple, alternate spiral, stalked, round , more than 2 cm long/wide, margin entire, apex acute, obtuse or rounded, base cordate or sagittate, palmatelyveined, dots (hydathodes) present on lower side. Flowers bisexual, grouped together in an axillary cyme, stalked, petals 5, white or yellow, throat orange. Fruit a indehiscent capsule.

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3) Habenaria digitata

Habenaria digitata is a terestrial herb, growing to 20-60 cm tall. Tubers are ovoids, 2 cm across. Alternately arranged, ellipitic leaves are 5-10 cm long. Upper leaves are smaller than the basal ones. Flowers occur in a spike, 5-10 cm long, at the end of the stem. Flowers are 2-3 cm across, green with a yellowish tinge. Sepals and petals are green. The fleshy, 3-lobed lip is also green. The lateral lobes are right angles to the upcurved midlobe. The green spur is 1.5-2 cm long. After sunset, the flowers emit and strong, foul smell.

4) Euphorbia fusiformis

Euphorbia is a genus of plants belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae. Consisting of 2008 species, Euphorbia is one of the most diverse genera in the plant kingdom, exceeded possibly only by Senecio. Members of the family and genus are sometimes referred to as Spurges. Euphorbia antiquorum is the type species for the genus Euphorbia; it was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 in Species Plantarum. The genus is primarily found in the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and the Americas, but also in temperate zones worldwide

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5) Impatiens oppositifolia

Rosemary Leaved Balsam is an annual herb, 30-50 cm high. One of its species namerosmarinifolia means having leaves like rosemary. Rosemary is a plant with narrow leaves. The leaves of Rosemary Leaved Balsam are opposite, 3-8 cm, narrow lancelike, with spiny teeth. Upper leaves are stalkless, while the lower ones have stalks. Orangepurple flowers, 1-1.5 cm occur in leaf axils either solitary or in groups of 2-3. The standard petals are round. The lip is conical like a hook.

6) Murdannia simplex

Perennial herb, 30-60 cm. Leaves 3-4, mostly basal; lamina up to 20 1 cm, linear, glabrous, but ciliate towards the base; basal part sheathing. Inflorescence bearing scars of early flowers. Flowers opening in late afternoon. Petals 3, equal, obovate, c.10 mm. Stamens: 2 upper, fertile and curved downwards, the third sterile; filaments with long purple, beaded hairs. Staminodes 3 with glabrous filaments, the empty anthers yellow and 3-lobed. Capsule oblong-spherical, c.6 mm. Seeds oblong-spherical, 1.5 mm, the transverse ribs tuberculate, reticulate.

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7) Murudannia Lanuginosa

Murudannia Lanuginosa is an annual, emergent plant that invades water edges and marshes, often growing emersed. It forms dense mats of vegetation which outcompete native vegetation. Plant stems are succulent, root at the nodes, and grow prostrate along the ground. Leaves are alternate, lance-shaped, and up to 3 inches long. The flowers occur at the ends of the stems or arise from the position between the stems and leaves (leaf axils) Flowers can occur singly or in clusters of 2 to 4. All flowers occur on short flower stalks and consist of 3 purple, blue, pink, yellow, or nearly white petals that are approximately 1/3 inch long.

8) Paracaryopsis coelesina

Common hill borage is a flower which looks like a beautiful white version of the famous blue forget-me-not. The white, or pale blue flowers, 6 mm across, have a shape similiar to forget-me nots, but have a blue shaded center. Infact, it comes from the same family as borage. It is an erect herb with red branches, grows on forested hills. Common hill borage is native to India.

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9) Smithia bigemna

Smithia is an annual herb, 15-30 cm tall, with bristly branches. Leaves are strange, with two pairs of almost stalkless leaflets, 9-12 mm long, 4.5-9 mm broad. The species name bigemina precisely means double paired. Leaflets are obovate, serrated, tip blunt and bristle-pointed, base rounded or subacute. Inflorescence is a 2-8-flowered peduncled axillary cyme. Calyx bristly 2-lipped; lower 3-lobed; upper slightly emarginate. Yellow flower tube 4-8 mm long, twice the length of calyx. Stamens 5+5; anthers uniform. Pods 6-8 jointed, joints reticulate.

10) Utricularia purpurascens

Utricularia purpurascens is an insectivorous aquatic herb, 7-10 cm tall. The root fibres have small bladders. Linear oblong leaves, 6-10 mm, have spherical bladders. Scapes are 7-20 cm tall, erect, 3-8 flowered. Slender stalks are 6-8 mm long. Flowers are 2-lipped, fragrant, bluish purple. Upper lips small, 4-5 mm, while the larger lower lip is convex, 812 mm, with a white spot at the center, veined with purple, and has a yellow spot at the base. The conical, curved spur is 1 cm long.

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11) Vigna vexillata

Vigna vexillata is a fairly strong twiner, stems usually clothed with spreading silky hairs. It resembles a plant somewhere between a Southern pea and a mung bean. The long trailing vines have narrow pointed bean-like leaves. Pods and seeds resemble mung beans, and the roots are modulated. Flowers pink or purplish, turning yellow, pea-like, 2.5 cm long. Because of its tuberous roots rather than its pods, the wild mung is held in fairly high esteem in some parts of the world. In Africa, the roots are eaten in times of severe hunger. It grows wild in the Himalayas and in the foothills of India. The tubers are soft, easy to peel, and possess a creamy, white, tasty interior. They are eaten boiled or raw. Protein content of the tubers is near the 15% level, which is high compared to the 17% for potatoes and yams.

12) Memecylon umbellatum (Anjani)

Memecylon umbellatum commonly known as Anjani or Alli is a small tree found in India, the Andaman islands and the coastal region of the Deccan. Page 8

Threat to Biodiversity
* Windmills & Mining are very dangerous to the environment of Satara * Fire set by humans in the jungles and mountains are extremely dangerous to microenvironment, reptiles, insects, plants and to other lives * Proliferation of exotic flora * Deforestation * Soil erosion * Dumping of garbage in the water bodies * Removal of soil for brick making * Agriculture * Poaching of wild animals for expenditure * Tourism * Proposed widening of roads * Construction /Industrialization

All Photographs & Data