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Bombay and the neighboring area like Mumbra, Borivili, extending up to Lonavla and Khandala is a botanists paradise. I hope they have preserved (after 1957) that area in its natural state. The diversity of plant species found on the western ghats is amazing. For those who like plants, a visit to that area is highly recommended. Thank you for posting the flora; I can refresh my old botany .

@Asad Uncle: You know I stay here now.Quite a lot is still in a relatively good condition. The flora here is indeed stunningly beautiful.

Digvijay: Is it Bombay proper, or Lonavla or Khandala where you live? As a Botany student, we have wandered in those beautiful hills searching for rare plants and have many fond memories of our excursions. I am happy to know that they have preserved the natural beauty of the area for future generations. Thank you.

@Asad Uncle :Well I stay in Thane after my HO shifted here from downtown Worli ,Mumbai last year owing to cost and space constraints.I am fortunate to stay adjacent to the Borivalli national park (now called the Sanjay Gandhi national park). London may have it's Hewitt and Hyde Parks and New York has the Central Park but those are man-made structures.Mumbai ,India's biggest metropolis with a population of a staggering twenty-five million has a natural forest inside it which still has leopards roaming freely in the wild ! I go inside it for my morning constitutional every day.It is replete with awesome bird-life and flora.There are two big lakes other than numerous ponds and delightful waterfalls after the monsoons. A city of huge paradoxes, Mumbai even has swarms of flamingo visitors in winters. It is amazing to see these pink tailed graceful birds in the marshes on either sides of speeding local trains ! I am eagerly awaiting their annual visit now. A nature lover that I am , i had resigned myself to live in a concrete jungle for the rest of my professional life.As you know I hail from Rajasthan which is blessed with the largest concentration of pea-cocks and partridges ,per square mile ,anywhere on the planet. I was pleasantly surprised to discover this haven in Mumbai for which i was absolutely un-prepared.My riparian (yes it is a river facing apartment !) paradise is a lush serene neighbourhood with birds and squirrels. I occassionally go to Khandala and Lonavla too to explore and soak myself in it's natural beauty.The thick flora of the union territories of Silvasa ,Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman in southern neighbouring Gujarat is awesome too.India is a blessed country....despite such a huge population pressure so much of wild-life and flora has survived... it can only be attributed to HIS grace ! The sightings of the 'gentleman in stripes' (tiger) was a regular feature here in Bombay till about eighty years back.

Digvijay: I am glad that you live in Borivalli; I remember the beautiful waterfalls there. Mumbai is a city of contrasts; that is what hits you when you visit Mumbai. Had we known that leopards were roamimg freely in Borivalli, we would have been more careful. All we saw were the ferns and other exotic plants. Mumbra was dangerous; we actually came down from a hill following the course of a waterfall and I remember how scary those wet, slippery rocks were - but all of the 'kids' came back safely to the Railway Station. That was 53 years ago!