Richa Arya; S.D. Tewari*; Prachi Joshi; Manisha Bhandari and Sapana Pant
Indira Priyadarshini Govt. Girls Post Graduate College of Commerce, Haldwani,
Nainital, Uttarakhand.
Abstract
The present paper deals with an exploration of the bryophytic epiphytes on the trunk of a rare fan palm Trachycarpus fortunei (Hook.) H. Wendl.- cultivated and naturalized in and around Nainital town of Kumaun Himalaya growing randomly between 1930 m–2100 m. In all, 13 mosses and two leafy liverworts were recorded from 25 selected palm trees. These bryo-epiphytes growing on palms were found markedly different from surrounding Oak and Deodar phorophytes. The colonization of bryophyte species and communities on the host tree trunks was found to be restricted on the humified scars of permanent leaf bases. Brothera leana (Sull.) Müll. Hal. of Dicranaceae and Leptodontium flexifolium (Dicks.) Hampe, of Pottiaceae were recognized constantly as dominant colonizers of T. fortunei trees. It is noteworthy, that majority of mosses inhabiting palm tree trunks have shown marked xerophytic tendency and gemmiferous nature.
Key Words: Bryophytes; Epiphytic; Gemmiferous; Leaf scars; Xerophytic
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