Natural Vegetation and Habitats

Reindeer moss and Iceland moss are not true mosses despite their common names. They are actually composite organisms formed by a symbiotic association between fungi and algae, which classifies them as lichens.

Bamboo is a type of grass that thrives in tropical and subtropical climates, particularly in tropical rain forests where humidity and rainfall are high.

Rainforests are known for their extreme biodiversity, housing more than half of the world's plant and animal species despite covering a small percentage of Earth's surface.

Tropical evergreen forest,

Some of the commercially important trees of tropical rain forests are ebony, mahogany, rosewood, rubber and cinchona.

Cinchona is a genus of flowering plant mostly used as medicinal plant because of the quinones present in it. These are found in the areas where the rainfall is above 100 cm. They are native to the tropical Andean forests of western South America.

Tropical deciduous forests (monsoon forests) are the most economically significant in India because they provide valuable timber like teak and sal and cover a large area.

The name Sundarbans is thought to be derived from sundri or sundari (Heritiera fomes), the name of the large mangrove trees that are most plentiful in the area. The forestland transitions into a low-lying mangrove swamp approaching the coast, which itself consists of sand dunes and mud flats. Mangrove forests constitute about two-fifths of the Sundarbans region’s overall surface area, with water covering roughly half of that area. The landscape is constantly being transformed by the erosional forces of the sea and wind along the coast and by the enormous loads of silt and other sediments that are deposited along the myriad estuaries. Human activity has also altered the landscape, notably through forest removal, which accelerates erosion. In addition, because considerable amounts of river water have been diverted upstream for irrigation and other uses, salinity in the mangrove swamps has moved farther inland, especially in the Indian sector of the territory.

Tropical deciduous forests are characterized by a distinct upper canopy layer. Mangrove and thorny forests have different structural adaptations, and evergreen forests have a much denser, multi-layered canopy structure.

Mahogany is not essentially a species of the Himalaya vegetation. Mahogany is a species of tree found throughout the Caribbean, central and South America not in Himalayas.

• Teak wood is moderately hard, teak is durable and fire-resistant. It can be easily seasoned and worked. It takes up a good polish and is not attacked by white ants
  
• It is among the most valuable timber trees of the world.
  
• It is a deciduous tree and it is found in tropical deciduous forests.
  

The region receives high isolation and moisture throughout the year which are primary requirements of any vegetation, so due to the abundance of these elements, very dense thick and high vegetation is found.

Vegetation species are  Mahogany, Ebony and green heart, cabinet wood and dyewood.

The tropical deciduous forests are also called monsoon forest because the trees in these forests shed their leaves during dry season and re-grow during monsoon.