A Survey of Palms from Jnanadweepa Campus and Studies on their status of conservation

Members of the plant family Palmae, also known as Palmaceae, or more recently rechristened as Arecaceae are mostly found in hot tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions of the world. Apart from exhibiting enormous diversity in their morphological features, palms are known to inhabit almost all types of habitats ranging from tropical rainforests to desert habitats. They feature amongst the most extensively cultivated botanical families and have been very close to mankind since the origin of civilizations. Whilst various historical accounts depict palms as symbols of fertility, peace, wellbeing and victory, in recent times the palm tree has come to symbolize vacations at exotic locations and also, their significance in all the major religions of the world continues unquestioned. Besides being sources of ethno-medicines, foods, oils and various other products of utility, palms are also widely used in landscaping, horticulture and gardening. The popularity of palms has increased with times. The biodiversity of palms occurring on Jnanadweepa, Vidya Prasarak Mandal's college campus, popularly known as Thane college campus was studied in the current investigation. Different varieties of palms were recorded, dominant among them, on the college campus, being Cocos nucifera (coconut palm), Areca catechu (areca palm) and Chrysalidocarpus lutescens (golden cane palm). Caryota urens, with its majestic appearance and multi faceted utility potential, and Rhapis spp. (lady palm) were also recorded in the study. Ravenala madagascariensis, popularly referred to as traveller's palm; but not actually a true palm, was also observed and included in the findings as a special listing. The economic importance and status of conservation of the listed palms is also mentioned.