CONTENTS: Foreword, Preface, Acknowledgements, Introduction, THE WESTERN GHATS: Vegetation in the Western Ghats, HISTORY OF THE STUDIES ON FISSIDENTACEAE: International status, National status, METHODS USED FOR THE STUDY: Collection, Preservation and herbarium preparation, Identification, Taxonomic description, Photodocumentation and illustration, Measurements used in the Description of species, Characters used in the study and Terminology, PHYLOGENETIC AND iNTRAGENERIC CLASSIFICATION OF TGHE GENUS FISSIDENS HEDW,: Important schemes of inrageneric classification of Fissidens Hedw. SYSSTEMATIC TREATMENT: Subgeneric classification of Fissidens species found in Western Ghats, Key to the subgenera of genus Fissidens, Fissidens Hedws. subgenus Pachyfissidens (Mull. al.) Kindh, Key to the sections of subgenus Pachyfissidens, Fissidens subgenus Pachyfissidens section Amblyothallia Mull. Hal., Fissidens asplenioides Hedw., Fissidens asplenioides Hedw., Fissidens subgenus Pachyfissidens (Mull. Hal.) Kindb. section Pachyfissidens Eur., Key to the species of the section Pachyfissidens, SPECIES WITH DATAS INSUFFICIENTLY KNOWN, ILLEGTITIMATE NAMES: Fissidedns gaminiflorus Dox. et molk. Fissidens grandifolia D. S., Fissidens barbuloides D.S., Fissidens undulaefolia D.S., Bibliography, Glossary of Technical Terms, About the Authors.