THE BIOLOGICAL SPECTRUM OF THE FLORAL ELEMENTS OF THE 24-PARGANAS DISTRICT IN WEST-BENGAL

The paper is a floristic account of the 24-Parganas district in West Bengal along with the Udal mangrove flora of the Sundarbans. 1 175 Angiosperm species under 680 genera and 154 families were collected and identified. Here, the dicotyledons dominate over the monocotyledons. The ideal tropical flora of the district is represented by different life forms, among which 30.4 per cent species are tropical/cosmopolitan, 41.4 per cent South-East Asian species, 4.4 per cent West Asian and Mediterranean species, 1.3 per cent North African species, 7.7 per cent tropical African species, 6.5 per cent tropical American species, 4.9 per cent temperate region species and 3.4 per cent Indian and Sub-Himalayan species. The Sundarbans mangroves and other halophytic species are only 70.