ANGIOSPERMS IN POIYAMOZHI AYYANAR SACRED GROVE, KURUMALAI HILLS, THOOTHUKUDI DISTRICT, TAMIL NADU, INDIA

Abstract

In India and across the globe, many communities practice diverse forms of nature worship. One prominent tradition involves protecting forest areas maintained as sacred groves, consecrated to various deities. This ancient practice was once widespread, and the protected ecosystems now harbour numerous threatened, endangered, and rare plant and animal species. In the present study, angiosperm flora was reported in the Poiyamozhi Ayyanar Sacred Grove located at the foothills of Kurumalai Hills, Thoothukudi District, Tamil Nadu, India. Plant species were collected with flowers, fruit, or both at frequent intervals and were identified and confirmed with the available literature. The present study enumerated a total of 186 species belonging to 147 genera in 49 families from 29 orders, according to the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group IV classification. This study indicated that Poiyamozhi Ayyanar Sacred Grove is floristically rich but remains botanically underexplored.