Flora of Morni Hills (Research & Possibilities)

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About the Author A savant and a great saint of the spiritual tradition of Yoga & Ayurveda in India, Acharya Balkrishna, is involved in renovation, propagation and establishment of Ayurveda. He is representative of a saintly tradition in whom the knowledge of Maharsi Charaka, Sushruta, Dhanvantari and all other saints of Ayurvedic tradition is completely and intimately compounded. Acharya Balkrishna is a great scholar under whose guidance Ayurvedic treatments and Research has been globally established gloriously, without any financial assistance from outside. With his efforts he has scored 29 patents on Yoga & Ayurveda and under his guidance more than 50 research papers have been published in several National and International Journals and magazines.

He is the recipient of numerous awards like "Vanaushadhipandit", "Sugyanshri" etc for his contributions in the field of Yoga & Ayurveda. Popular magazines like "India Today" (Nov 2009) and "Outlook" (Jan 2010) counts him among the ten versatile and dynamic young man of India. He has authored many books on Yoga & Ayurveda and has edited many scriptures from unpublished Ayurvedic manuscripts. A famous scripture on Ayurvedic treatment 'Aushad Darshan', more than 01 crore copies of it have been brought on public domain, a unique creation by him. At present his dream project "World Herbal Encyclopedia' is under publication. His new and highly informative and appreciable television program on several channels has revived the interest in using plants for medicinal purposes and also the interest in Ayurveda, globally. He is a great visionary, highly ascetic, energetic, diligent, simple, easy- going and a versatile personality with multi-dimensional skills who is constantly engaged in the service of mankind. World's largest food processing unit, 'Patanjali Food & Herbal Park' is the result of his innovative vision. He is the inspiration & architect of huge and highly modernized Divya Pharmacy, Patanjali Ayurveda Ltd. and Patanjali Research Foundation (Trust). Formation of Patanjali Bio-Research Institute (PBRI) aiming for the conservation of Nature & Environment and development of organic farming for pollution-free soil, is also the materialization of his ideology. He is the prominent associate of Swami Ramdey, who is one among himself and the chief architect of all the organizations under Patanjali Yogpeeth & Divya Yog Mandir. Establishment of world-class, well- organized, well-equipped Hospitals, Yog Bhavan, Laboratories and other huge infrastructures are examples of his visionary power and initiative. Besides, he is the founder of Patanjali University, Patanjali Ayurveda College, Acharyakulam Educational Institute and Vaidik Gurukulam. He is one of the renowned and pioneer Indian in the field of Ayurvedic Science and a source of inspiration for patriotic Indians.

Preface There are estimated to be over 21907 species of plants (Bryophytes, Pteridophyte, Gymnosperms and Angiosperm) in India, which constitute approximately 6-7% of the total plant species around the world, India has immense variety of climatic and altitudinal zones and is floristically very rich and some of the species are endemic to India. The ecological habitats vary from humid tropical western ghats to the hot descarts of Rajasthan and from ice-capped mountain of the Himalayas to warm coasts of Peninsular India. The variety of species not only provide a healthy environment but also contribute to the cultural diversity of India. Morni Hills a part of Shivalik Hills is situated in northern region of Haryana in Panchkula district and is very rich in floristic diversity due to topographical and altitudinal variations. To provide an overview on the status of vegetational composition of Morni Hills and its conservation, the Patanjali Herbal Research Department, Patanjali Research Foundation Trust bas done a detailed vegetational survey and study including socio-economic aspect of the area and is presenting the book entitled Flora of Morni Hills (Research and Possibilities). It deals in detail with the economic aspects of plant uses, floristic analysis and systemic enumeration. Floristic analysis deals with dominant plant families and genera, rare and endangered species of the area. A chapter on medicinal plants provides valuable information about their synonyms, common names, botanical description, distribution and medicinal uses. In the end, an appendix of plant species list is also presented.

In present study 980 species have been identified falling under 612 genus, 150 families and in which 18 Lichens, 12 Bryophytes, 16 Pteridophytes, 03 Gymnosperms and 931 Angiosperms species are reported. The text is supported with 06 tables, 08 figures and 1000 photo plates. In this study 53 species have been reported for the first time from Morni Hills.

I would like to express my great appreciation to Param Pujya Swami Ramdev Ji Maharaj for his spiritual and constructive suggestions, encouragement and moral support during the planning and development of this research work.

It gives me immense pleasure to record my sincere thanks to renowned taxonomist Dr. B. K. Shukla (Ex. SD) of Botanical Survey of India for his valuable suggestions during the study period and also writing of the flora. My sincere thanks and blessings to Dr. Srikant Chandola (Retd. PCCF-HFF, Uttarakhand) and Dr. G. S. Rawat (SG, WII, Dehradun) for identification of plants and coordination during this study.

Foreword Plant biodiversity in India is one of the richest in the world due to vast variety of flora and having the wide range of climate, topology and habitat in the country. Due to over exploitation of plant resources, population explosion, climate change and slow implementation of environmental policies, several species are on the verge of extinction. Conservation of these resources is urgently required because this affect the food chain and the livelihood of millions of Indians who depend on regional biodiversity.

Morni Hills is situated in northern region of Haryana in Panchkula district and rich in biodiversity. The present book entitled Flora of Morni Hills (Research and Possibilities) provides complete information on vegetational account of Morni Hills based on comprehensive survey and exploration of the region by the team of scientists of Patanjali Herbal Research Department of Patanjali Research Foundation Trust under the able guidance of Acharya Balkrishna Ji Maharaj. The flora of Morni Hills comprises 980 species falling under 612 genus and 150 families. Acharya Balkrishna Ji and their team has done praiseworthy work in bringing out this book which will be useful for classes and masses.

Introduction Haryana lies between 7427 and 77°36′ E longitude and 27°39 and 30:55 N latitude. It is one of the smallest but richest states of India with an area of 44212 sq km which is 1.3% of India's geographical area and bounded in the east by Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi, in the west by Punjab, Himanchal Pradesh in the north and Rajasthan in the south

Haryana is mainly an agricultural state with almost 80% of its land under cultivation. As per Forest Report, FSI, 2013, the Forest Cover in the state is 1586 sq. km which i 3.59% of the state's geographical area and the Tree Cover in the state is 1282 sq. km which is 2.90% of the geographical area. Thus the Forest and Tree Cover of the Haryana state is 6.49% of its geographical area (Source: Haryana Forest Department).

Panchkula district was formed as the 17 district of Haryana state in India on 15 August 1995, covers 898 sq km area. It comprises two tehsils: Panchkula and Kalka. It is surrounded in north by Himachal Pradesh, east by district Ambala, south by Chandigarh and west by Punjab. There are five towns in the district: Barwala, Kalka. Panchkula, Pinjore and Raipur Rani Panchkula city is the headquarters of this district. Chandimandir Cantonment is located in this district, adjoining the Panchkula Urban Estate.

Panchkula district of Haryana has some hilly part known as Morni. It is a tourist place known as Momi Hills. Morni hills are covered with a dense forest growth of scrub mixed with chil (Pinus burghi Sarg.) and many other valuable trees, including the harar (Terminalia chebula Retz), the fruit of which yields a considerable revenue (Imperial Gazetteer of India) Morni Hills are the offshoots of Shivalik range of the Himalayas, which run in two parallel ranges. Traditions assign the name of Momi to a Queen who is believed to have ruled this area. The village of Morni (Bhoj Jabial) lies on the mountainside, at 1220 meters above mean sea level. The hills are covered by pine trees. The climate is salubrious and the area is suitable for trekking. Among the spurs of hills, lie two lakes, the larger (Tikkar Tal) is about 550 meters long and 460 meters broad and the other (Chots Tikkar) about 365 meters either way. A hill divides the two lakes but there is some hidden channel, as the level of two lakes remains the same. The people look upon the lakes as sacred. There is an old for known as Morni fort, which is now in ruins. The Haryana Government has developed this hill resort and provides facilities to fourists, a motorable road was constructed to connect the Morni hills with Haryana State Highway near Panchkula. The rest house of Forest department and PWD were also constructed to accommodate tourists and trackers. Apart from that number of resorts are also available for the accommodation in and around Morni Hills area.

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