Abstract
The paper deals with the occurrence of epiphytic lichens on shade trees and tea plant Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze in tea gardens of Assam. The shade trees are usually leguminous and include Albizia odoratissima (L.F.) Benth., A. chinensis (Osbeck) Merr., A. moluccana Miq., A. procera (Roxb.) Benth., A. lenticularis (L.) Willd, A. lucidior (Stend.) Nielsen, A. lebbeck (L.) Benth., Dalbergia sericea G. Don and Derris robusta (Roxb. ex DC.) Benth. A total of 80 species of lichens distributed under 28 genera and 11 families have been recorded. Out of these, 79 (98%) species grow on leguminous trees, 14 (17%) species grow both on leguminous trees as well as on tea plants, while a single species Strigula hypothallina R. C. Harris has been found confined only to tea plants.
Keywords
Leguminous, Lichenological, Buffer capacity, Phorophyte, Rhizobia