Pondicherry soil and vegetation forms a vital part of the geography of the Union territory. The region of Pondicherry has various species which are as follows:
- Acanthus ilicifolius
- Rhizophora mucronata Suaeda monoica
- Avicennia marina Clerodendrum inerme
- Rhizophora apiculata Suaeda martima
- Bruguiera cylindrica Pandanus tectorius
- Avicennia officinalis Hisbiscus tiliaceaous
- Excoecaria agallocha Sesuvium portulacastrum
The
vegetation of Pondicherry comprises of various types of plants including woody plant group, hedge plants, ornamental plants, hydrophytes, halophytes etc. The district of Karaikal of Pondicherry has flat land with no mountains or forests. The maximum area of the land is covered by red ferrallite black clay and coastal alluvial soil types. The lush green natural beauty of the region owes immensely to the Pondicherry soil and vegetation. The
soil of Pondicherry has formed from the herbaceous organic deposits with underlying sandy textured sediments. The crops that are commonly grown in the region are paddy, pulses, coconuts, cotton, chilies, vegetables, sun flower and ground nuts etc. The region is partially covered by tropical dry evergreen species like Pamburus missionsis, Lepisanthus tetraphylla, Diosypyros ebnum, Glycosmis pentaphylla, Atlantia monophylla.
Casuarina spp. and Eucalyptus spp. belong to the woody plant group that grows near the sea and are mostly cultivated for fire wood. Some of the herbs that grow on the sand are Gisekia pharnaceoides, Spinifex littoreus Ipomea pes-caprae and Bulbostylis barbata. Few varieties of road side trees are Azadirachta indica, Madhuca longifolia, Ficus religiosa, Samanea saman, Ficus glomerata, Peltophorum pterocarpum, Tamarindus indica, Delonix regia, Ficus benghalensis, Syzygium cumini, Thespesia populnea, Albizia lebbeck etc.
