Littoral Forests

 Indian Natural Vegetation

 Littoral or Tidal Forests

(a) Climatic Conditions: These forests are found in wet marshy areas, in river deltas, in tidal or other swampy areas and along the sea coasts.

(b) Distribution:  These forests are chiefly distributed in the deltas of large rivers on the eastern coasts and in pockets on the western coast in saline swamps of Sunderbans in West Bengal and coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.

(c) Characteristic Features:

    i> They are mainly evergreen species of varying density and height, usually associated with wetness.

    ii> The tree trunks are supported by a number of stilt like roots which remain submerged

under water during high tide and can be seen during low tide.

    iv> These forests have breathing roots called pneumatophores. Because of waterlogged conditions, the roots are deprived of oxygen during high tides. So, some mangrove roots extends vertically above the ground. These vertical roots have pores which enable the trees to breathe when other roots remain submerged under water during high tide.

The important trees include keora, amur, bhara, rhizophora, screw pines, canes and palms, sundari, agar, etc. Mangrove forests grow along in the coast in the salts marshes, tidal creeks, mud flats and estuaries. They are found in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and West Bengal.. Other areas of significance include the Mahanadi, the godavari and the Krishna deltas.

These forests have Sundari trees, after the name of which these forests are known as "Sunderbans" in the Ganga delta.

(d) Economical Value: Mangrove trees are utilised for fuel whereas sundari trees provide hard durable timber.