The Dumbara Mountain Range lies in central Sri Lanka , in the Districts of Matale and Kandy . The Sinhalese residents have traditionally referred to the area as Dumbara Kanduvetiya meaning Mist-laden Mountain Range. Early British surveyors gave the name knuckles , referring to a series of recumbent folds and peaks in the west of the massif which resemble the knuckles of clenched fist when viewed from certain locations in the Kandy District .
5-407: The higher montane area is often robed in thick layers of cloud. In addition to its aesthetic value, the range is of great scientific interest. It is a climatic microcosm of the rest of Sri Lanka as the conditions of all the climatic zones in the country are exhibited in the massif . At higher elevations there is a series of isolated cloud forests , harbouring a variety of flora and fauna . Although
10-409: The main mass of an individual mountain. As a purely scientific term in geology , however, a "massif" is separately and more specifically defined as a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures . In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. A massif is a smaller structural unit than a tectonic plate and
15-408: The range constitutes approximately 0.03% of the island's total area, it is home to a significantly higher proportion of the country's biodiversity . The isolated Dumbara range harbours several relict , endemic flora and fauna that are distinct from central massif. More than 34 percent of Sri Lanka's endemic trees, shrubs, and herbs are only found in these forests. Dumbara (Knuckles) Conservation Forest
20-469: The unique native Sri Lankan flora. [REDACTED] Media related to Knuckles Mountain Range at Wikimedia Commons Massif A massif ( / m æ ˈ s iː f , ˈ m æ s ɪ f / ) is a principal mountain mass, such as a compact portion of a mountain range , containing one or more summits (e.g. France's Massif Central ). In mountaineering literature, a massif is frequently used to denote
25-569: Was included in UNESCO natural world heritage list in 2010 as part of Central Highlands of Sri Lanka. There are nine peaks over 1200 meters (4000 ft) in the Dumbara Range. Cultivation of cardamom at large scale in the montane forests is a major threat to the fragile forest ecosystem. Invasive exotic plant species such as Mist Flower ( Ageratina riparia ) that increasingly spread into montane forest areas and montane grasslands destroy
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