Angiosperm diversity of the Theosophical Society campus, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

This paper deals with the list of flowering plants from the Theosophical Society campus (TS), Chennai. The Theosophical Society campus is the second largest green patch in the city of Chennai, next to Guindy National Park. A total of 449 taxa have been recorded comprising 161 trees, 84 shrubs, 179 herbs and 25 climbers that are distributed in 353 genera, represented in 85 families, 11 super orders and 35 orders as per the APG III classification. Superorder Fabids and Lamids account for about 49% of the taxa. Paleotropical elements (66%) dominate the TS campus followed by Neotropical elements (31%). The present study reveals that TS campus has a rich and diverse exotic flora. The garden department of this protected campus takes care of conserving the floral diversity. Hence, Theosophical Society campus can be considered as a major biodiversity heritage site and an indispensible lung space for the city of Chennai.