Helminthostachys Zeylanica in Barringtonia Swamp Forest: A Phytoassociation Analysis

Abstract

For a long period, populations of Helminthostachys zeylanica (L.) Hook. have mostly been restricted in few geographic ranges due to alternation of their actual / potential habitat conditions. To find out the potential habitat of Helminthostachys zeylanica it is significant to identify their phytoassociates as well as the nature of association. Apart from the habitat and community analysis, present study also highlighted a strong positive correlation in association of Helminthostachys zeylanica with other co- existed plants of the forest. Present study depict some strong possibilities of true positive association between Vetiveria zizanioides (L.) Nash, Barringtonia acutangula (L.) Gaertn. and Antidesma acidum Retz., and also a strong negative correlation in association with Eucalyptus globulus Labill. Pearson correlation coefficient for interspecific covariance support there was a strong positive correlation in the density value for Helminthostachys zeylanica and Barringtonia acutangula. These findings depict the importance of presence of Vetiveria zizanioides, Barringtonia acutangula in the present habitat for establishment and increase of population size of Helminthostachys zeylanica.