Abstract

From the known 236 species of ferns and fern-allies in the Western Ghats, 159 species have been enumerated from the Sylvan Valley Fern Sanctuary in Munnar Forest Division, Kerala, India. The sanctuary covers 8.6 ha and is in an area of open sloping grassland flanked on all sides by Eucalyptus plantations intermixed with patches of evergreen shola forests and a patch of marshy land at one end; it has been planted with pines [Pinus spp.] and Cupressus, with some bamboos and flowering plants. Among the159 fern species, which are enumerated with brief descriptions, 109 are terrestrial and 50 epiphytic. Live specimens of 125 species of ferns and fern-allies collected from different forests of Kerala were supplied to the Forest Department to be maintained in the fern house (greenhouse) in the sanctuary, and presently 138 species are being maintained here (these are listed). A checklist of rare and endangered species found in the different forests of Munnar region is also provided. Rare and endangered species from other parts of the Kerala forests are also maintained in the sanctuary. Ctenopteris subfalcata [Grammitis subfalcata] and Asplenium laciniatum collected from Munnar are new records for Kerala, and Asplenium auritum and A. tenuifolium have beencollected from the Munnar forests after a lapse of over a 100 years