Q. Consider the following statements:
1. India’s first cryptogrammic garden opens in Dehradun.
2. A cryptogam is a plant or a plant-like organism that reproduces by spores without flowers or seeds.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer: C
Notes:
India’s first cryptogamic garden housing nearly 50 species of lichens, ferns, and fungi was inaugurated in the Chakran Town of Uttarakhand’s Dehradun district.
Why was this Chakran Town chosen?
- The Cryptogamic Garden is located at Deoban in Chakrata at a height of 9,000 ft.
- This site was chosen because of its low pollution levels and moist conditions which are conducive for the growth of these species.
- Further, Deoban has pristine majestic forests of Deodar and Oak which create a natural habitat for cryptogamic species.
What is Cryptogam?
- A cryptogam is a plant or a plant-like organism that reproduces by spores without flowers or seeds.
- The term Cryptogamae means “hidden reproduction”, referring to the fact that no seed is produced. Thus, cryptogams represent the non-seed-bearing plants.
- Cryptogamic plants include Algae, mosses, liverworts, lichens, ferns, and fungi
Source: EPIC, July 2021.

