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India’s First Cryptogamic Garden : Dehradun

India’s First Cryptogamic Garden:

India’s first cryptogamic garden was inaugurated in the Chakrata town of Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

  • The garden will be housing nearly 50 species of lichens, ferns and fungi (collectively known as Cryptogamae).

Factors Responsible for Location of this Garden:

  • This garden is at Deoban in Chakrata at a height of 9,000 ft.
  • This site is chosen because of its low pollution levels and moist conditions which are conducive for the growth of these species.
  • Further, Deoban has pristine majestic forests of Deodar and Oak which create a natural habitat for cryptogamic species.

Cryptogams:

  • A cryptogam is a plant that reproduces with the help of spores.
  • The word “Cryptogamae” implies ‘hidden reproduction’, referring to the fact that they do not produce any reproductive structure, seed, or flower.
  • Due to this, they are called “flowerless” or “seedless plants” or ‘lower plants’.
  • They need a moist environment to survive.
  • These are present in aquatic and terrestrial places.
  • Algae, bryophytes, lichens, ferns and fungi are the best-known groups of cryptogams.