Consider the following : 1. Cashew 2. Papaya 3. Red sanders How many of the above trees are actually native to India ?

Describes where cashew is widely cultivated in India (west coast, east coast, and specific states) and the climatic/altitudinal conditions it prefers.

A student could compare this cultivated distribution with known native-range patterns (e.g., whether a species’ natural range aligns with wild populations or only with plantations) or look for historical records of introduction in those coastal areas.

Gives detailed cultivation biology (time to fruiting, harvesting season) showing cashew functions as an established cultivated crop in India.

Use this to distinguish long-established cultivation from native wild occurrence by searching for mentions of wild cashew populations or ethnobotanical records predating large-scale cultivation.

Notes that India imports cashew-nut, indicating international trade in cashew products.

A student could infer that trade history might involve importation/introduction routes and follow trade/colonial records to check if cashew was historically introduced rather than indigenous.

Provides a framework for classifying Indian tree species by forest type (evergreen, monsoon, subtropical), useful for assessing whether cashew fits native vegetation categories.

Compare cashew’s preferred habitats from snippet 1 with the native-vegetation types listed here to see if cashew matches typical native species of those forest types or appears as a cultivated outsider.

Describes dominant native tree species in moist deciduous forests (e.g., sal, teak, mango), illustrating examples of species known as native.

A student could contrast this list of native trees with cashew’s absence from the list to motivate checking historical/biogeographic sources for cashew’s native status.

Explicit example stating that fruits like pineapple and the papaya were introduced to India from the New World (historical introduction pattern).

A student could use this as a direct lead to check botanical or biogeographical sources on New World origins of papaya to judge nativity.

Describes a general pattern of plant immigration to India from distinct regions (Trans-Himalayan, Indo-Malaysia, north Africa), establishing that many species in India are non-native arrivals.

One could use this rule—plants in India may be immigrants from other regions—to investigate whether papaya fits an immigrant (New World) pattern rather than a native Asiatic lineage.

Lists the Indian states where papaya is mainly grown, showing its wide cultivation and climatic preference in India.

A student could compare this cultivation/distribution map with native-range maps (e.g., Americas vs. South Asia) to see if presence in India matches introduction and widespread cultivation rather than original endemism.

Notes India as a leading producer of papayas, illustrating that being abundant in a country does not by itself imply nativity.

Use this to caution that high production in India must be checked against historical/biogeographical origin data (introduced vs. native).

Groups papaya with other tropical fruits (e.g., pineapple), some of which are known (from snippet 3) to be New World introductions—suggesting similar origin patterns among grouped fruits.

A student could investigate whether fruits listed together share similar biogeographical origins (supporting the hypothesis that papaya, like pineapple, may be non-native).

Explicitly lists 'Red sanders' as an example species in a botanical/forest context within a chapter on plant diversity and adaptive mechanisms.

A student could take this as evidence the species is treated in Indian botanical texts and then check regional species lists or distribution maps (e.g., peninsular/Deccan flora) to see if it is native.

Provides a rule-like classification of Indian tree resources by forest type (evergreen, monsoon, subtropical), indicating where economically important woods grow.

A student could identify which forest type red sanders (a timber species) is associated with and then compare that to the geographic extent of that forest type in India to judge nativity plausibility.

Describes tropical deciduous (monsoon) forests of the peninsular region and lists common tree species, illustrating typical habitats on the peninsula where many endemic timbers occur.

A student could use this habitat description plus a map of peninsular India to see if red sanders' ecological preferences match these regions and thus whether it could be native there.