Abstract

The tree species of of Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala (India), which has been identified as a centre of endemicity, was assessed by stratified random sampling through the census quadrat method. The initial stratification and sample plot distribution was done using a vegetation map of the sanctuary prepared from aerial photographs in 1997. There are 9 forest types in the area, and 21 quadrats of 0. 1 ha were laid out over a 2. 1 ha. Among the 9 forest types, a total of 151 tree species were recorded belonging to 52 families. Assessments were made of the species richness, diversity and evenness of the tree species in each forest type