Home » Flora in Srivilliputhur Giant Squirrel Sanctuary

Srivilliputhur Giant Squirrel Sanctuary is located in the Virudhunagar District, 45 km's, off Virudhunagar Town. The sanctuary has a composition of dry deciduous forests with patterns of tropical evergreen, semi evergreen forests, moist mixed deciduous forests and grasslands.

Dry deciduous forest Dry deciduous forests are found throughout the country except in the Northeast. It is also found in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. The cover of the trees does not normally exceed 25 metres. The common trees are the Sal, a variety of Acacia, and Bamboo

Wet evergreen Wet evergreen forests are found in the south along the Western Ghats. It is distinguished by tall, straight evergreen trees that have a support trunk or root on three sides like a tripod that helps to keep a tree upright during a storm. These trees often rise to a great height. The regular trees that are found in Srivilliputhur Giant Squirrel Sanctuary are the Jackfruit, Betel P, Jamun, Mango, and Hollock. The shrubs cover the layer closer to the ground. Beautiful fern of various colours and different varieties of orchids grow on the trunks of the trees.

Semi-evergreen Semi-evergreen forests are found in the Western Ghats, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and the lower Himalayas. Such forests have a combination of the wet evergreen trees and the moist deciduous tress. The forest is dense and is filled with a large range of trees of both types.

Moist deciduous Moist deciduous forests are found throughout India. The trees have broad trunks, are tall and have trunks and roots to hold them steadily to the ground. Some of the trees shed their leaves in the dry season.

Grasslands receive about 500 to 900 mm of rain per year. While temperatures are often extreme in some grasslands, the average temperatures are about -20°C to 30°C. Tropical grasslands have dry and wet seasons that remain humid all the time. Temperate grasslands have chilly winters and humid summers with some rain.

The grasses die back to their roots annually and the soil and the sod protect the roots and the new buds from the cold of winter or dry conditions. A few trees may be found in this biome along the streams, but not many due to the lack of rainfall. Fires, natural and human-caused, are important in the maintenance of many types of grassland.