Studies on monocotyledonous riverine flora of Durgawati river basin in Ramgarh block of Kaimur District

Present study was conducted in the Durgawati river Basin in Ramgarh block of Kaimur district, Bihar. Field trips were undertaken weekly in all parts of the study site and plants were collected during each trip. Herbaceous flora was excavated as a whole whereas in case of Shrubs and trees, only the tender twigs bearing flowers and/or fruits were taken. The dried specimen were mounted on the Herbarium Sheets. These Herbarium Sheets were protected against damages by poisoning them with 1% mercuric chloride and Naphthalene balls. Total 62 plants species belonging to 7 families and 47 genera were recorded from the study site. Poaceae was the most dominant family with 24 genera and 35 species. Other important families were Cyperaceae, Orchidaceae, Liliaceae etc. The most dominant life form was herbs (56) followed by shrubs (29), trees (7), climbers (5) and epiphytes (3). Studies on monocotyledonous species provide useful information on several aspects related to species diversity, life dominant families, life form status etc. The researcher and forest manager can exploit this information in planning of sustainable utilization of these resources. Time to time assessment of species diversity also helps in studying the impact of temporal changes like climate change on species distribution.