A new checklist by the Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI) has recorded 3,261 flowering plant species, plus 26 subspecies and 28 varieties from 190 families, in the Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve (ABR) spanning Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Fabaceae is the richest family with 349 taxa, followed by Rubiaceae (194), Poaceae (193) and Orchidaceae (168). About 1,018 taxa (31.2%) are endemic to India, 245 of them confined to specialised habitats. ABR shares 347 plant taxa with Sri Lanka and has 102 taxa linked to tropical American flora.