ICSE Class 10 Geography: Natural Vegetation of India Revision Notes

Natural Vegetation of India

• Natural vegetation is vegetation that grows in a region without human interference.
• Flora refers to the listed species of plants, whereas forest refers to a large tract of land covered with trees and shrubs.
• Natural vegetation of a region is influenced by several factors such as temperature, rainfall, and altitude.

Tropical Evergreen Forests

• Climatic conditions: Tropical evergreen forests grow in regions with more than 250 cm of annual rainfall and average annual temperatures between 25°C and 27°C.
• Distribution: These forests are found in areas of heavy rainfall in the Western Ghats, Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, upper parts of Assam, and the coast of Tamil Nadu.
• Characteristic features: Trees can reach up to 60 meters or more in height, with rich growth of plant life due to heavy rainfall.
• There is no definite season for plants to shed their leaves, and trees do not shed their leaves at the same time, making these forests appear green throughout.

Important Species of Trees in Tropical Evergreen Forests

• Rosewood: Used for making furniture and decorative wood for carving and making ornamental ply boards.
• Ebony: Used for ornamental carving, making musical instruments, sports goods, piano keys, and caskets.
• Chaplas: Used for ship building, making furniture, and packing boxes.
• Gurjan: Used for construction work, making packing boxes, tea boxes, panelling, and flooring.
• Telsur: Used for making bridges, boats, and carts.
• Sissoo: Used for construction, furniture making, and making bullock carts, agricultural implements, and musical instruments.
• Toon: Used for making tea boxes, toys, and furniture.

Tropical Deciduous Forests

• Climatic conditions: These forests grow in regions with rainfall between 200 cm and 100 cm, and annual temperatures varying from 24°C to 27°C.
• Distribution: These forests are found in West Odisha, eastern slopes of the Western Ghats, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and northeastern states of the country.
• Characteristic features: These forests are also known as monsoon forests and are largely found in India.
• They can be classified into moist deciduous forests and dry deciduous forests based on water availability.
• Trees shed their leaves for six to eight weeks to conserve water.

Important Species of Trees in Tropical Deciduous Forests

• Sal: Used for making beams, doors, and window posts.
• Teak: Hard and durable, used in construction, ship building, and making furniture.