From the preface:
"The Rajiv Gandhi (Nagarahole) National Park is located at the foot-hills of the Brahrnagiri Hill Range in the Western Ghats of Karnataka, India. The Western Ghats is the largest centre of endemism in India and together with Sri Lanka is recognized as one of the 34 Biodiversity Hotspots of the world. The Rajiv Gandhi National Park endowed with rich biodiversity is reckoned as one of the best National Parks in Asia. It is a significant component of one of the largest conservationareas in India and a central link in the seasonal migration of elephants to Bandipur National Park in southeast and Wynaad Wildlife Sanctuary in the southwest. Though many workers have explored some parts of the Rajiv Gandhi National Park as a part of general floristic work, a major portion of the park remained unexplored resulting in insufficient data on its flora. The present study on the flora of Rajiv Gandhi National Park, Karnataka was carried out by the authors from the Western Regional Centre of Botanical Survey of India, Pune to bring out a comprehensive account of the plant wealth of the area. [...] The study consists of both field and laboratory / herbarium work. Intensive and extensive plant collections were carried out by the senior author over a period of five years. A total number of 1339 species, 16 subspecies and 31 varieties of Angiosperms including some cultivated species distributed over 757 genera and 152 families have been enumerated. Apart from angiosperms, 30 species of Pteridophytes and 3 species of Gymnosperrns have been recorded from the area. The plants have been identified using relevant floras and herbarium material. The book is divided into several chapters covering all aspects of the area, people, vegetation, endemic and threatened plants, sacred groves, weed fiora, aquatic angiosperms, economically important plants including medicinal plants, commercially exploited plants, phytogeography, conclusion, systematic treatment, bibliography, index to botanical and local names. Though the flora of the area is covered in the published Floras of Coorg and -Mysore districts, the present work forms first hand information on the National Park exclusively.[...]"