There is one more aspect of A. ilicifolius. The population of A. ilicifolius is a good indication of how healthy that particular mangrove forest is. If the population of this species is hight to very high, it is an indication of degraded land. That is to say, a healthy mangrove forest would have a limited population of A. ilicifolius! best regards Adittya
--- On Sat, 12/3/11, prasad dash <prasad.dash2...@gmail.com> wrote: From: prasad dash <prasad.dash2...@gmail.com> Subject: [efloraindia:97385] [Efloraofindia_ Acanthus ilicifolius_031211PD04_ Flora of Odisha] To: "Indiantreepix" <indiantreepix@googlegroups.com> Date: Saturday, December 3, 2011, 1:07 PM Dear all, Odisha is globallywell known for the amphibians in plant kingdom, the mangroves. Located in the deltaic region formed by the rich alluvial deposits of Brahmani, Baitarani and the Mahanadi, Dhamra River, orissa in gereral and Bhitarkanika in perticular is the second largest mangrove ecosystem in the world after Papua New Guinea in terms of species diversity. There are 62 species of mangrove found in Bhitarkanika which includes 32 true mangroves and the rest are assocites. Heritiera kanikensis is Endemic to bhitarkanika. With this background i wl post some of my earlier images of mangroves and their associates that i had taken during my association with Regional Research lboratory (RRL) now known as Institute of Minerals and Materials technology (IMMT), Bhubeneswar as a Senior Research Felow on mangrove physiology. Dear members sending the photograph of Acanthus ilicifolius from Bhitarkanika Name of the species: Acanthus ilicifolius Family: Acanthaceae Place of collection: Bhitarkanika, Kendrapada, Odisha Habit: Perennial herb Habitat: Wild, Wet evergreen forest Regards Prasad -- Prasad Kumar Dash Ecologist, Orissa, India email: prasad.dash2...@gmail.com ph. 09437444241