Population Structure and Regeneration of Croton scabiosus Bedd. (Euphorbiaceae) in Dry Forests of South Eastern Ghats of YSR Kadapa District, Andhra Pradesh, India

Croton scabiosus Bedd. (Euphorbiaceae), an endemic tree of dry forests of South Eastern Ghats, is categorized a vulnerable tree. For effective conservation of this species studies on its population structure and regeneration are required. The population structure and regeneration of Croton scabiosus were studied in 11 localities of dry forests of Kadapa district, India, by laying 66 quadrats 5x200 m in size. A total of 2571 individual trees with a range of 61-100 individuals in each quadrat were recorded. The majority (81%) of the individuals are in 10-20 cm and 21-30 cm gbh class, followed by 19% of 31-40 cm gbh class. The height class distribution revealed that 74.06% trees are in 2-3 m height class, while 20.78% trees in 4-5 m height class and only 5.14% trees are 6-8 m height. In the regeneration category 8.8% of seedlings and 49.7% saplings were recorded. In addition, C. scabiosus is associated with 54 tree species belonging to 39 genera and 21 families. The most commonly associated tree species are; Acacia caesia, A. chundra, Cleistanthus collinus, Gardenia gummifera, Mimosa intsia, Ochna obtusa, Strychnus nux-vomica, Pterocarpus santalinus and Wrightia tinctoria. In certain sites C. scabiosus formed the dominant lower canopy tree in the elevation range of 155 m-328 m.