Current Status of Floral Richness in Phayeng Community Forests, Imphal West

Conservation of community forests is an important part for the survival of local populations. The survival of community forests not only provide with shade, shelter, clean air and water but also protect from natural disasters like floods, drought or any sort of anthropogenic disturbances. The present paper presents the current status of the floral diversity in Phayeng Community forests with their scientific name, local name, family and their uses. The study also records the fruit tree species growing inside the village home orchard. Out of the 95 total tree species recorded, 44 families were identified according to the tree diversity growing inside the forests. The highest number of tree density was found in Meliaceae, Moraceae, Rubiaceae and Lauraceae families followed by Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae, and Fagaceae respectively. Likewise, 41 fruit tree species were recorded in the village home orchard. The identified fruit species were commonly used for their economic livelihood and quality of the community. Community forests play an important role in the conservation and sustainable use of available resources.