Flowering plants of the Western Ghats, India

The Western Ghats, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and global biodiversity hotspot, host a remarkably diverse angiosperm flora. A comprehensive two-volume checklist identifies 7,402 species (5,588 indigenous) across 164,280 km², including 376 naturalized and 1,438 cultivated taxa. The study organizes entries by accepted names, synonyms, habit, nativity, distribution, phenology, conservation status, economic importance, and local names, drawing significantly from earlier regional works like the Flowering plants of Kerala. While the checklist follows an outdated family classification (BD Sharma et al., 1993), it serves as a critical resource for understanding the region's flora, despite minor nomenclatural oversights. The Western Ghats' undisturbed vegetation has dwindled to one-third of its original extent, underscoring urgent conservation needs.

Dorr, L. J. (2015). Flowering plants of the Western Ghats, India. Journal of Systematics and Evolution, 53(4), 367–368. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/jse.12163