The florae of Wayanad are characteristic of the Western
Ghats and the plantation crops grown in the cool climate. A major portion
of the district is covered by coffee. Trees of the wild type like
rosewood, anjili (Artocarpus), mullumurikku (Erthrina), and several
species of caussia and many other non-descript varieties are still
preserved here and there, to give shade to coffee plants. These trees give
a semblance of wilderness to the landscape of Wayanad. In a majority of
coffee plantations, the age-old species are replaced by the silver oak,
which is suited to the cold climate. This tree grows quickly and its
cultivation is widespread among coffee plantations for shade and for
giving support to pepper. It is used for the plywood industry and thus is
economical to the farmers. Eucalyptus, whose fragrant smell suffuses the
very air around it, is cultivated on a large scale in certain parts of the
district. Eucalyptus oil is extracted on commercial basis from its leaves.
Of the 20,864 hectares of reserve forest, the major portion is teak
plantation. Areca nut palms and jack trees are also grown here. Tea is
grown as an industry in large estates.
The soil and climate of Wayanad are
suitable for horiculture on commercial basis. For promoting the
cultivation of vegetables and rising of orchards, the Kerala Agricultural
University is running a Regional Agricultural Research Station at
Ambalavayal.
With the clearing of forests, the
diverse and buzzling animal life, characteristic of the forests of Western
Ghats, has vanished from Wayanad. One can still see the bonnet monkeys,
loris, mongooses, jungle cats, squirrels, jackals, hares, etc. in the
limited forests.
Elephant, beer and other wild animals
from the neighboring wildlife sanctuaries of Karnataka and Tamilnadu,
stray into the Begur forest range and the forests around Muthanga, which
is 20 kilometers away from the town of Sulthan Bathery.
