Present Scenario of Moss Diversity at Tamia Hills and Patalkot Valley (Madhya Pradesh) India

Tamia hills and Patalkot valley are situated in the Satpura ranges and are a part of the Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve. The area is geologically important as it is a component of the Indian segments of Gondwanaland. The shady locales and ample moisture explain the rich bryophyte flora encountered here. Amid the bryophytes, mosses have emerged as the dominant bryophyte group at this place. The present study deals with diversity and distributional patterns of mosses of the region. A total of 21 mosses belonging to nine families, have been unveiled from here for the first time, out of which three taxa viz. Ectropothecium cyperoides, Isopterygium pallidulum and Vesicularia reticulata are new to central Indian bryo-geographical region.