Context: Recently, the Eravikulam National Park (ENP) has got a new attraction i.e. a Fernarium set up inside the park.

• A fernery or Fernarium is a specialized garden for the cultivation and display of ferns.

About the move

• About 52 varieties of ferns have already been planted in the new Fernarium.

• As per data, ENP has 104 varieties of ferns.

• The government has planned to increase the number of ferns inside the park to cover all 104 varieties soon.

• This is the first time such a fern collection has been established in the hill station.

About Ferns

• A fern is a member of a group of vascular plants.

• Vascular plants: plants with xylem and phloem.

• They reproduce via spores.

• They have neither seeds nor flowers.

• They have specialized tissues that conduct water and nutrients and in having life cycles in which the sporophyte is the dominant phase.

• They have complex leaves called megaphylls.

Significance

• They are used for food, medicine, and as biofertilizers.

• They are used as ornamental plants and for remediating contaminated soil.

• They have been the subject of research for their ability to remove some chemical pollutants from the atmosphere.

• Some fern species, such as bracken (Pteridiumaquilinum) and water fern (Azollafiliculoides) are significant weeds worldwide.

• Some fern genera, such as Azolla, can fix nitrogen and make a significant input to the nitrogen nutrition of rice paddies.

• They also play certain roles in folklore.

About Eravikulam National Park (ENP)

• This is also the land of “Neelakurinji”, the flower that blooms once in twelve years.

• The highest peak south of the Himalayas – The Anamudi (2695 meters) is situated in this park.

• Topography: The major part of the park is covered with rolling grasslands, but several patches of shola forests are also found in the upper part of the valley.

Flora

• Important flora includes Actinodaphne bourdilloni, Microtropis ramiflora, Pittosporum tetraspermium, Eupatorium adenophorum, Strobilanthus Kunthianus (Neela Kurinji)

• The shola grasslands are exceptionally rich in balsams and orchids including the long-thought-extinct variety Brachycorythis wightii.

Fauna

• 29 Species of mammals are found here of which 5 are endemic to the Western Ghats.

• The Nilgiri Tahr, Gaur, Sloth Bear, Nilgiri Langur, Tiger, Leopard, Giant Squirrel and wild dog are common.

• Half the world population of the endangered Nilgiri Tahr lives here.

• 140 species of birds of which 10 are unique to the Western Ghats.

• The Atlas moth, the largest of its kind worldwide, is seen in this Park.

• More than 100 varieties of butterflies and 20 species of amphibians are also seen here.

• The climatic condition inside the ENP is more suitable for growing ferns.