Tropical Plant Research

Dibyendu Talukdar* and Tulika Talukdar

Abstract:
A survey was performed in ‘Bethadahari wildlife sanctuary’, Nadia district, West Bengal during the span of 2010-2015 to invent the invasive alien plant species in 121 hectare forest area and adjoining five villages. Study revealed occurrence of 103 alien angiosperm plant species under 32 families, with four monocot families (Araceae, Poaceae, Cyperaceae, Pontederiaceae). Fabaceae leads with 20 taxa and followed by Asteraceae with 17 plant species. Amaranthaceae, Solanaceae, and Euphorbiaceae were some other important families which possessed eight, seven, and five taxa, respectively. Year-wise quadrat studies revealed increasing number of alien species in the study area. Parthenium hysterophorus, Ageratum conyzoides, A. haustonianum, Eupatorium odoratum, Chromolaena odorata of Asteraceae; Cassia sophera and Leucaena leucocephala of Leguminosae; Amaranthus spinosus and Alternanthera sessilis of Amaranthaceae; Lantana camara of Verbenaceae and Trema orientralis of family Urticaceae were the major invasive species. Remarkably, several alien species have been used in diverse economic purposes by villagers, showing use of nearly 49% plants in local health-care systems.