Biodiversity reflects variety and variability within and among living organisms, their associations and habitat-oriented ecological complexes. There is an urgent need for detailed survey of plants resources, both exotic and indigenous for the development of rural as well as urban economy of a region. In this context, the present study was carried out to record the floral resources of St.John’s college campus, Palayamkottai, Tirunelveli, Tamilnadu, India. A total of 190 plant species belonging to 148 genera and 62 families were enumerated. The most diverse families in the campus include Poaceae (16 species), Euphorbiaceae (14 species), Asteraceae (11 species), Acanthaceae (9 species), Caesalpinaceae (8 species), Rubiaceae (7 species), Amaranthaceae, Areaceae, Malvaceae, Lamiaceae and verbinaceae (6 species each), Fabaceae, Mimosaceae and Solanaceae (5 species each), Araliaceae, Commelinaceae and Cucurbitaceae (4 species each), Agaraceae, Amaryilldaceae, Annonaceae, convolvulaceae, Liliaceae, Moraceae, Nyctaginaceae and Portulacaceae (4 species each), Apocynaceae, Araceae, Araucariaceae, Asclepidaceae. Combertaceae, Cyperaceae and Sterculiaceae (2 species each), whereas rest of the 30 families are represented by a single species. Out of the identified plant species, 188 species belong to the Angiosperms, one species belong to both Gymnosperm and Pteridophyta. Of the total plant species observed based on the habit, herbs were represented by 56.32% followed by trees, 24.21%; 14.73% of shrubs and 4.74% of climbers. The results of this study provide insights into the importance of urban green space and greatly help in urban conservation planning and management.

Keywords: Plant biodiversity, SJC campus flora, urban area, exotic plants, biodiversity conservation