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Current Availability Status in Terms of Standing Crop Biomass of the Medicinal Climber, Solenaamplexicaulis (Lam.) Gandhi. in relation to other Climbers in the Foot Hills of Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu, India.

Paulsamy S and K Karthika

Current availability status of the medicinal climber, Solenaamplexicaulisin terms of standing crop biomass was determined in ten different habitats at lower Western Ghats of Coimbatore and Tirupur districts, Tamil Nadu, Indiafor three seasonsviz., monsoon, winter and summer. For comparison, other associated climber species in the study areas were also analyzed. The results of the study revealed that the biomass content of all the three parts viz., leaf, stem and tubers with roots of the study species, S. amplexicauliswas lesser and not comparable to that of other climbers. However, the three species, Kedrostisfoetidissima, Decalepishamiltonii and Cocciniagrandiswere present with lower biomass of all parts than the study species, Solenaamplexicaulis. The seasonal variation in tuber biomass of S. amplexicaulisshowed that greater loss of reserves had happened during unfavourable season, which would expected to result in vanishing of S. amplexicaulisin the study areas in future. It was further known that the Madukkaraiforest is most suitable for the study species than the other study areas due to high biomass of S. amplexicaulisin that area. Therefore, appropriate propagation technologies to ensure adequate biomass availability and intensive habitat protection for conservation of S. amplexicaulisare suggested. Environmentally similar areas like that of Madukkarai forest are determined to be suitable for raising the species, S. amplexicaulis.