Indira Gandhi National Park

The Indira Gandhi National Park named after the late Prime Minister Smt Indira Gandhi is located in the Anamalai hills in the Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu. The forests, a part of the Nilgiri Biosphere reserve consists of the park as well as a sanctuary formerly known as Anamalai Wildlife sanctuary with a combined area of 95,860 hectares. The national park covers an area of 108 sq kms. and the sanctuary is spread over an area of 958 sq km. 

The National Park, with its main tourist zone known as Top Slip, has an altitude varying from 350m to 2,400 metres above sea level and has an excellent variety of flora as well as fauna. The terrain consists of thickly wooded hills, rolling grasslands, plateaus and deep valleys. It has an annual rainfall between 500 mm to 5000 mm.

The vegetation that covers most of the park is of the mixed deciduous variety. There are rich evergreen and semi -evergreen forests. The semi-evergreen and the wet temperate habitat of this park contain teak, rose wood and many miscellaneous tropical species. The park comprises of around 8,000 species of plants. 

Some of the rare and endangered species of flora, which are found in the Park are Combretum Ovalifolium, Dispyros nilagrica, Gymnopteris Contaimirans, Habebarai Reriflora, Polypodum Pleroupus, Alsophila, Bulbophyllum sp, Lasianthus uenuloses, Angiopterris Erectra, Gnetum Ula, Impaliens Elegans, Lycopodium cernum, Ranunculus Reniformis and Osmunda Regulis. Trees have placards with their botanical names and other details.