314 



• THE FLORA OF PANCHGANI. 



BY 



E. Blatter, s. j. 

 {(With a Map,) 



The Flora of Mahableshwar has been described by H. M. Bird- 

 wood in a final edition of his " Catalogue of the Flora of Matheran 

 and Mahableshwar " (1897). As the climate of Fanchgani shows 

 some marked differences from that of Mahableshwar, from which 

 it is separated by a very short distance only, we thought it might 

 be interesting to know in what direction the different climate of 

 Panchgani has influenced the development of its flora. The 

 physical aspect of Panchgani is too well known as to need a detailed 

 description ; a few points, however, must be mentioned if we want 

 to draw our conclusions from a comparison of the floras of the two 

 hill stations. 



Panchgani is situated on the same range of hills which stretches 

 in an easterly direction from the Western Ghauts at Mahableshwar, 

 and ends about a mile from Wai. It is about 8 miles west of Wai 

 and about 12 miles east of Mahableshwar. The elevation taken 

 by a compensated aneroid barometer on the highest point of " Table- 

 land " is 4,550 feet, and 4,300 feet at the Post Office, thus being 

 about 200 feet lower than Mahableshwar. Situated to the lee 

 of Mahableshwar it escapes the heavy rains of the outer range, 

 which are carried away into the valleys to the north and south. 

 The same is the case as regards the fogs ; the greater part of the 

 little that comes towards Panchgani is divided by the hills imme- 

 diately to the west of the Chicklee ghat, and driven eastward in 

 clouds along the sides of Panchgani, one portion into the valley 

 of the Krishna, the other to the south along the valley of the 

 Yenna. The average rainfall is 66 inches, /. e., only one-fifth 

 that of Mahableshwar. The following tables give the annual 

 rainfall for the years 1877-91, and the monthly rainfall from 

 September 1907 to September 1908. For these details 1 am 

 indebted to the kindness of Capt. Gillespie, the Superintendent of 

 Panchgani. 



