Flora and Fauna of Uttar Pradesh

The Forests constitute about 12.8% of the total geographical area of the state. The Himalayan region and the terai and bhabhar area in the Gangetic plain have most of the forests. The Vindhyan forests consists mostly of scrub. The districts of Jaunpur, Ghazipur and Ballia have no forest land while 31 other district have less forest area.

Near the snow line there are forests of rhododendrons and betula (bhojpatra). Below them are forests of silver fir, spruce, deodar, chir and oak. On the foothills and in the terai bhabhar area grow the valuable sal and gigantic haldu. Along river courses the Shisham grows in abundance. The Vindhyan forests have dhak, teak, mahua, salai, chironji and tendu. The hill forests also have a large variety of medicinal herbs.

Sal, chir, deodar and sain yield building timber and railway sleepers. Chir also yield resin, the chief source of resin and turpentine. Sisso is mostly used for furniture while Khair yields Kattha which is taken with betel leaves or pan. Semal and gutel are used as matchwood and Kanju in the plywood industry. Babul provides the principal tanning material of the state. Some of the grasses such as baib and bamboo are raw material for the paper industry. Tendu leaves are used in making bidis and cane is used in baskets and furniture.

According to an authoritative computation, there are species of woody plants, including trees, shrubs and woody climbers. Species of grasses have been collected from the Gangetic plain. Herbs include medicinal plants like rauwolfia serpentina, Viala serpens, podophyllum, hexandrum and ephecra gerardiana.