Dr. Siby Matthew, head of the Research and Development department of K.D.H. P. travelled with the students to Gundumallai to show them the vegetation peculiar to forests in the higher altitudes. Wherever he looked and wherever he went the grandeur of a thriving ecosystem followed him! And by default reached our eyes too. He urged that we touch and smell and look. We followed his finger and we saw a single tree supporting at least fifteen other species on its trunk! Symbiosis he said, with such glee in his eyes. Communities, brotherhoods, joint families, social organizations, we thought. We followed his curious eyes and saw Pteridophytes, Epiphytes, Rhododendrons, Wanda, Iodex plants, lycopodium, lichens, moss, and the oldest living plant on earth- grass. We met huge tree ferns that carried the magical Phi ratio within them.
Many species do not survive there. In the higher reaches the plants do not produce flowers; instead there are spores hidden on the under surface of leaves to ensure multiplication and survival of the species.
The Stillness Project 