A SURVEY OF THE FLORA OF THE 
ANAIMALAI HILLS IN THE 
COIMBATORE DISTRICT, 
MADRAS PRESIDENCY. 
BY 
C. E.C. FISCHER, 1.3. 
GENERAL ACCOUNT. 
Topography. The area covered by the following survey lies between 
76°43' and 77°26’ E. and 10°13’ and 10°32’ N.. It forms the mass of hills 
known as the Coimbatore Anaimalais.. They are continuous with the vast. 
range of mountains that runs southwards through the Travancore State. On 
“the 1 West they are cut off from.the Neliampatti Hills by the valley of the 
Tekkadi river and on the East from the Palni Hills by the valley of the 
Puchaiar. The northern slopes descend precipitously to the plains of 
Central Coimbatore. The range is separated from the Aiyamalai and 
Bolampatti Hills, which connect on to the nee Hills, by the break in 
the Western Ghats known as the “ Palghat gap ” which is about 20 miles 
wide, . 
The elevations vary from about 900 feet above] mean sea-level, in the 
north-eastern corner, and about 1,200 feet in the north-western corner to 
8,244 feet (‘Thanakumalai Peak, see plate IV) in the centre. 
The range is divided into appr oximately equal eastern and western 
halves by the Torakadavu stream, which, rising close to the Travancore 
frontier at Chindalindamalai, runs in a northerly direction to flow into the 
Ali-ar near the northern boundary of our area. The Ali-ar forms a consi- 
derable water fall into the plains and thence flowing westwards empties 
itself into the Ponani river near den and eventually into the Indian 
Ocean a little south of Calicut. 
The central mass of the range | is the highest, rising to over 7,000 feet 
on either side of the Torakadavu and diminishing gradually East i West. 
In the East the Amaravati river flows northwards out of Travancore, ¢cut- 
ting off a narrow belt of low hills between if and its tributary the Pachai-ar. 
The elevations along the Amarayati run from 900 to 1,500 feet. East of 
the Amaravati the peaks do not exceed 3,300 feet. To the West the fall 
is more or less continuous to the Tekkadi river, and to the ia A ar further 
South, where the elevation is about 1, 500 feet. : 
B 
