Category: Thematic Sections

The use of plants for medical treatment is believed to have started over 60,000 years ago. Ancient Egyptian, Indian, Greek and Chinese civilizations have all documented the use of medicinal plants to cure infections, treat injuries and supplement nutrition. At least 35,000 plant species are estimated to have medicinal value and more than 7,000 medicinal […]

Grasses form the fundamental link in most food chains and are spread across all continents with more than 10,000 different species. Grasses are the main food source of all herbivores from tiny caterpillars to mammoth elephants. Grasses also constitute the largest component of human diet worldwide. Grasses provide all of our cereal crops such as […]

Over 300 million years ago, before there were trees and shrubs, there were Ferns! Ferns were the first plant species to develop true roots, stems and leaves. Ferns are flowerless plants that have feathery leaves called ‘fronds’. Unlike other plants, ferns reproduce by spores found under their fronds. These spores are the favoured food of […]

Plants and animals have always found a prominent place in our mythology, scriptures, rituals, folk lore, songs and festivals. We use plants in our festivals as a way of expressing our eternal gratitude to nature for her incredible bounty. The Coconut, for example, has been called Kalpavriksha in Hinduism, while Henna is termed the ‘magical […]

Some places on the planet have a large number of ‘endemic’ species or species that exist only at a specific site. These rare areas are called ‘Biodiversity Hotspots’ and there are only 25 in the whole world! India is home to 3 such hotspots, namely the Western Ghats, Eastern Himalayas and Indo-Burma Region. 6,000 plant […]

Did you know that the spines on a cactus are actually modified leaves? They are a form of ‘Adaptation’ that helps protect the plant from predators and prevents loss of water through leaf evaporation. Adaptations are special features which help plants and animals survive in a particular habitat. Common examples of plant adaptions include tendrils […]

There are over 2,500 species of Palm trees found throughout the world, from deserts to the rainforest. We are all familiar with palms like the coconut, areca nut, date, oil palm and toddy palm which are used as food and to make oil, fuel, furniture, jewellery, musical instruments and many other items. Palms can be […]