Botanical Survey of India

Botanical Survey of India:

The botanical survey of India started working in 1890, and conducted exploration in different regions of the country, which led ultimately to the preparation of the 'Flora of British India' and the regional floras, e.g., 'Flora of Madras'. etc. One of the important achievements during this period was the establishment of the Herbarium in the Royal Botanic Garden, Sibpur, Calcutta(now Indian Botanic Garden).

The survey has been reorganised in 1954, and some progress has been made during the second and third five year plan periods, with the establishment of the Regional Circles and Herbaria at Dehradun, Coimbatore, Allahabad, Pune and Shillong.

Further progress has been made in establishment of the Experimental Gardens for working out various aspects of botany and usefulness of plants at Shillong. Pune and Yercaud(Shevroy Hills). National Orchidarium has been added for the collection of the orchids from the eastern part of the country at Shillong and the southern part of the country at Yercaud. The present organisation of the Botanical Survey of India consists of:

1. Plant exploration and writing up of the regional floras.
2. Preparation of the Flora of India.
3. Establishment of the plant products and their display at the Indian Museum, Culcutta.
4. Assessment  of the plant products and their display at the Indian Museum, Calcutta.
5. Establishment of Botanical Laboratory to work out the botany of plant in different aspects like cytology, anatomy, phytochemistry, ecology, pharmacognosy, palynology and plant physiology.

Attached to the Headquarter Office at Culcutta, there is a section of Cryptogamic Botany dealing mainly with the mosses and ferns. The Central National Herbarium which has at present a collection of about 10 lakh specimens. is now engaged in making monographic studies of the families included in the first volume of the Hooker's Flora.

There is also a section of publication, which deals with the publication of various workers of this survey and also on systematic botany by workers in the universities and other institutes in India, which has led to the publication of the Bulletin of Botanical Survey of India, Records, printing of Roxburgh's Icones, Chapters on History of Botany, reprinting of the regional floras, etc.

It has been proposed to further strengthen the activities of this organization and establish a circle in the Andamans and a Botanic Garden at Delhi and for the high altitude areas in the Himalayas, somewhere in U.P. The work of the survey of the country has been expedited, and a map has been prepared showing the lacuna in our knowledge regarding areas unexplored or underexplored so that the exploration work can be taken up on a priority basis in such areas to improve our knowledge on plant wealth of the country.