MALABAR :-This region which forms the Malabar Botanical Province according to phytogeographers is a narrow stretch rnning from the hills soth of Tapati river in the north to !anya"mari in the soth along the west coast of #ndia covering the states of $oa% Maharashtra% !arnata"a% Tamil &ad and !erala' -The narrow stretch of (estern $hats rnning appro)imately *+,, "m encompasses a considerable gradient of climatic conditions which have reslted in the development of diverse forest types ranging from the dry scrb types to the semi-evergreen and evergreen forests' .limate -The climatic factors of temperatre% hmidity and rainfall are distinctly di/erent between the plains and hills' - (hen the plains are ncomfortably hot and hmid dring the smmer months% the microclimate nder in0ence of elevation and presence of evergreen vegetation renders the weather of the pper reaches of the hills% cool and pleasant' 12#L1- The (estern $hats are the montainos falted and eroded edge of the 3eccan Platea' Basalt is the predominant roc" fond in the hills reaching a thic"ness of 4 "m ' - 2ther roc" types fond are charnoc"ites% granite gneiss% "hondalites% leptynites% metamorphic gneisses with detached occrrences of crystalline limestone% iron ore% dolerites and anorthosites' Residal laterite and ba)ite ores are also fond in the sothern hills'52R61T T7P61 :-#n brief% the following forest types have developed in (estern $hats 8 9i: the dry scrb vegetation 9ii:the dry decidos forests 9iii:moist decidos forests 9iv: the semi-evergreen forests 9v: the evergreen forests 9vi: the sholas and the 9 vii: the high altitde grasslands'-Again% each of these forest types have nmeros sbtypes% formations or associations comprising of a variety of 0oristic composition'T;6 3R7 1.R