Botanical Exploration in Car Nicobar and Nancoury Islands

The vegetation of Car Nicobar and Nancoury Islands are discussed. Car Nicobar is a flat island with an area of 126.8 square kilometres, while Nancoury is still a smaller island with hills and ridges. Evergreen forests and tidal mangrove forests are absent in Car Nicobar Island and the vegetation consists of beach forest, scrub jungle, low forest in the interior, and grass land. Unlike Car Nicobar, Nancoury Island has dense forest growth of the evergreen type. Plants growing near the shores constitute the beach forest here, while the tropical ever green forest is situated in the interior at a higher elevation. Plants of economic and medicinal importance are also described.