The midland hillocks of northern Kerala have its own characteristic floral composition supporting scrub jungles and cashew plantations on the hill slopes and grasslands and associated aquatic and semi-aquatic plants on the hilltops.

The midland hillocks of northern Kerala have its own characteristic floral composition supporting scrub jungles and cashew plantations on the hill slopes and grasslands and associated aquatic and semi-aquatic plants on the hilltops.

The pinkish inflorescence of these grasses makes the area appear as if burnt mixed here and there with green shades.

So it can be safely stated that Arundinella grasses represent a higher stage in grassland development in the areas where they occur.

A small plot, containing a thick growth of Themeda and other species of grasses fetches about rupees three thousand per season for a landowner.

The first fall of southwest monsoon during late May or early June stimulates the germination of seeds and the growth of annual plants.

The deep blue flowers of Utricularia and white flower heads of Eriocaulon and Rhamphicarpa literally paint the whole plateau in shades of blue, violet and white, amidst herbaceous plants such as Sopubia trifida, Lindernia, Polygala elongata, Justicia japonica, Leucas sp.

Following the retreat of south west monsoon, during September, most of the early appearing plants give way to others such as Celosia argentea, Sesamum orientale and grasses such as Arundinella spp., Dimeria spp., Ischaemum indicum, Panicum spp., etc.

Stronger winds during the month of January and the direct incidence of sunlight enhance the drying up process of the flora of Madayipara.

The majority of the herbaceous plants dry up except for some grass species and the thorny Lepidagathis keralaensis, which may remain spread all over the rocky regions of the hill.

The thick grove adjacent to the clay mining site is one of the major vegetation patches of this hillock.

Ficus arnottiana one of the characteristic fig tree of this kind of ecosystem is seen in the southwestern part of the Plateau.

The small groves of Ixora coccinea, Ziziphus oenoplia, Ziziphus rugosa and thick clumps of Calycopteris flouribunda give refuge to a large number of small animals and birds in addition to providing nectar to butterflies and other insects during their flowering season.

The forest dwelling species of Stereospermum colais is one of the major wonders of this woody area, with its large white flowers blooming during November and December.

The geographical and climatical features made Madayipara and the adjacent laterite hillock system in supporting a unique assemblage of species.

Justicia ekakusuma (Pradeep et al., 1991), aptly named because of its nature of flower, is rare and seen in the rocky edges of the plateau.

It is observed that the number of Justicia ekakusuma has been declining drastically over the years, while other newly described species remain uniformly distributed.

Another interesting plant of this locality is the rare lycophyte, Isoetes coromandelina found near the temporary pools of Madayipara during the wet phase.

Ophioglossum species such as O. costatum, O. nudicale and O. gramineum are also distributed sparsely and make their appearance during the wet phase.

The wet phase of the Laterite hillocks is the more active in terms of the appearance of plant and animals (Jafer Palot and Radhakrishnan, 2005).

An analysis of the biological spectrum revels the fact that, majority of the herbaceous members appears along with the first showers, flourish during the monsoon season, complete their life cycle towards the end of the rainy season and enter into the dormant phase by shedding their fruits/seeds or in the form of rhizomes.

The indiscriminate mining for laterite and soil demolishing the hillocks had been severely threatened the very existence of the biota, culture and also the water availability in most of the areas.

The lack of awareness is the major reason for the pathetic condition of this type of unique ecosystem, which supports many endemic species.

Adopting conservation practices such as bringing it under the protection of a community reserve only could save the Madayippara and its environs from degradation.