Fabaceae / Papilionaceae

1.1
!Sindh falls in the category of hot and arid land due to low and scanty rainfall. Average
annual rain fall in Sindh is only 150 to 250 mm. There are three climatic regions in Sindh, the
lower, middle and the upper Sindh. The lower Sindh (Lar) comprises the Indus Delta, is
comparatively cool and takes benefit from the moderating effect of sea. It is affected by the
coastline and has damper, humid, South-Western winds in summer and North-Eastern winds
in winter make the climate of this region as maritime with rainfall little less than the Middle
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Sindh. The maximum temperature reaches upto 45 C ( occasionally upto 47 C) in summers.
The middle Sindh (Vicholo), extends about hundred miles north of Hyderabad, has lower
summer temperature than Upper Sindh but higher than the Lower Sindh. Upper Sindh (Siro)
which is centered at Jacobabad has a harsh climate. It is one of the hottest places in summer
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and coldest in winter as temperature rises upto 52 C in May and June occasionally frost
occurs in winter. The air is generally very dry. The highest peak of Khirthar range (Kuttey ji
Qabar) occasionally receives snowfall.
Overall Sindh has a continental climate with the variation between summer and winter
temperatures. It falls into the region of monsoon climate with distinguished characteristics of a
marked rainy season during the late summer. The hot weather begins in March and continues
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till the beginning of the monsoon in July. The mean maximum temperature reaching the 43 C
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in May, while in the winter temperature is often mild (minmum between 5-10 C) in most parts
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of the province, but occasionally falls below 0 C in upper Sindh(Smyth.1919).
1.2
Climate:
Physiography:
Sindh is a low and flat plain basin of Indus except the Khirther range along its border with
Balochistan and Nagarparkar mountainous region in the south-east; and desert area of the
east. According to physical framework, Sindh can be divided into three distinct physiographic
regions:(Huges.1876).
A) The western mountain region:
The western part of Sindh, bounded by mountain region, consists of hill ranges from Khirthar,
Bhit, Bhadra and Lakhi. Khirthar mountain range starts from Karachi near Manghopir and
ends in the western part of Larkana.
b) Indus flood plain and Delta:
Indus delta has its apex near Thatta below which Indus River spreads to form the deltaic
plains. Indus flood-plains comprise of alluvial plain which is divisible into upper and lower
Indus plains. Upper Indus plain lies in the North of the delta where five rivers of Punjab
converge in it, while Lower Indus plain lies in the Southern part of the delta and marked only by
Indus River. Sindh lies largely in the deltaic plains of Lower Indus Valley.
C) Deserts:
The eastern part of Sindh is bounded by desert which covers an area of approximately 68,000
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km and comprises of Thar, Nara and Kohistan. Thar Desert is spread on an area of 23,000
2
km , Tharparkar, Mithi and Umerkot districts lie in the Thar Desert, with the Runn of Kutch in
the south.
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Nara desert extends on an area of 22,000 km and represent four districts of Sindh, Shaheed
Benezirabad (formerly Nawabshah), Sukkur, Khairpur and Sanghar. Kohistan with an
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expansion of 23,000 km embodied the parts of Dadu, Larkana andThatta districts.
(iii)