Lateritic Rocky Plateaus

Lateritic plateaus are the result of constant weathering of rock by rain and wind. With hardly any soil cover, these structures become rich in Iron content. In India, different types of plateaus are found, typically in the Western Ghats. 

In the northern Western Ghats of Maharashtra, high altitude lateritic plateaus are found between 800m to 1400m. Famous examples of these are Mahabaleshwar, Pachgani and Kas plateaus in Satara district.   

Seasonal pools of water are formed on the plateaus during monsoon. These pools act as micro-habitats and shelter various flora and fauna. Some plants are known to grow only in such rock pools.  

The dry and barren landscape of rocky plateaus turns completely into the carpets of various colours with the mass blooming of different plant communities. This seasonal transformation is essential for many plants to complete their life cycle.  

Mass blooming of Impatiens lawii at Kas plateau, Maharashtra occurs during August to October. It is an annual herb growing in soil filled depressions on the high elevation plateaus. 

The mass blooming of flowers attract multiple insect pollinators every year at the plateaus which is a very interesting topic of study. Here, the Law's Balsam flower is visited by a bee. 

Plants of the genus Utricularia having carnivorous habit adapted to the nutrient-poor habitats. They catch minute organisms present in the substratum where they grow. This Utricularia purpurascens is photographed on Kas plateau. 

The herbaceous Smithia spp. are known to grow in shallow depressions of plateaus. Smithia bigemina is called Double Paired Smithia because of having two pairs of leaflets. It grows on high and low altitude rocky plateaus. 

Recently described from Konkan region of Maharashtra, Elegant Spider-Flower Corynandra elegans is a perennial herb growing in the seasonal pools on lateritic plateaus.  

Exacum lawii is a herb (5-10cm tall) with bluish purple flowers and yellow anthers. It grows on moist soils on the hilltops and generally flowers during September. 

Utricularia purpurascens has bluish-purple colored flowers. It grows in shallow, moist soils on the plateaus.  

Habenaria grandifloriformis grows in shallow depressions on high and low altitude rocky plateaus. It is a terrestrial orchid flowering in June-July. Flowers are big and beautifully white colored. Its single heart-shaped leaf also earns it the name Single Leaved Habenaria.  

Habenaria heyneana is another terrestrial orchid found on the rocky plateaus flowering during August–September. The white colored flowers are arranged on only one side of the stalk giving it appearance like that of a toothbrush.

The trampling of the vegetation is one of the most harmful anthropogenic threats to the sensitive vegetation at the lateritic plateaus and the effects  can be devastating. Prerna Agarwal has studied pros and cons of tourism at Kas in detail. 

Damage done to the vegetation can be seen clearly through the paths created by the tourists due to trampling. Impressions created by bikers raging across the flower blooms were visible on the Google Earth imagery too!

The Forest department has come up with some really good practices by creating designated paths for tourists at the Kas plateau, Maharashtra. The tourists can now cherish the mass blooming of flowers without causing any destruction to the habitat.