Cowan, J. M.

2018-05-22T12:50:56Z

2018-05-22T12:50:56Z

1927

Although the vegetation of Sikkim is as well known as that of any part of India, comparatively little attention has been paid to the area now known as the Kaiimpong Sub -Division of the Darjeeling District.

The territory, though originally part of the Sikkim state, was annexed by the Bhutanese in 1706 and until 1865 it remained in their hands. Under the Senchula Treaty of 1865 it became part of British India and was added to the Darjeeling District. Although both Sikkim and Bhutah were explored by Dr. Griffith and Sir Joseph Hooker early in the nineteenth century, little attention was paid to this area.

The most complete accont of the vegetation of Kalimpong which has hitherto been written was published by the late Mr. J.S.Gamble in the Indian Forester in 1875, in an article entitled "Darjeeling Forests ", and yet in this article Mr. Gamble describes the area east of the Tista, which is the Kalimpong Sub -Division, as "practically unexplored ". Before leaving the District finally in 1882 Mr. Gamble had visited a considerable part of this area and noted the prevalence of certain plants in various - localities. These he recorded in his "List of the - Trees, Shrubs and Climbers of the Darjeeling District.

Uf subsequent publications relating to Darjeeling or Sikkim the most important have dealt with the Alpine Flora of tue higher levels in - Sikkim proper or with plants of a particular family only. Nothing more than notes of cursory tours in this area have appeared. The District is included in the Flora of British India but not in Prain's Bengal Plants, and for many years Gamble's List has been the only convenient Forest Flora of the District. This List was revised by myself and my wife in 1925 and is now being published under the title "The 'frees of Northern Bengal:'

Altogether Three Forest Working Plans for the Kalimpong Forest Division have been published. The Third Working Plan was published by myself in 1924 and is the only plan which contains a detailed description of the forests. The data given in the present work were collected mainly from 1922 -1924 during the preparation of the Third Forest Working - Plan and part of the material has already been published in a different form in the Plan itself. It has now been supplemented by further observations made in 1926 and it is believed that the account of the forest climax communities is fairly complete although much work still remains to be done before our knowledge of the herbaceous communities reaches the same standard. The study of the cryptogamic plants has only just been begun.

http://hdl.handle.net/1842/30977

The University of Edinburgh

Annexe Thesis Digitisation Project 2018 Block 19

The forests of Kalimpong : an ecological account

Thesis or Dissertation

Doctoral

DSc Doctor of Science