Floristic analysis of foot hills of Kashmir Himalayas, of Jammu and

Kashmir State, India

Keywords:
Floristic analysis, Foot hills, Kashmir Himalayas, Jammu and Kashmir.
ABSTRACT:


The study of the angiosperms flora has been conducted to know the plants
wealth of Foothills of Kashmir Himalayas of Jammu and Kashmir State. The total area
of study is about 11200 sq. Km comprising of three districts namely, Doda, Kishtwar
and Ramban and Pir Panjal area of Jammu and Kashmir. The total number of taxa
collected from the present area of floristic study is 812, comprising of 804 species, 23
subspecies, 34 varieties and 1 forma representing 461 genera belonging to 120
families of the flowering plants.
063-066 | JRPS | 2012 | Vol 1 | No 1
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Authors:
Bhellum

BL.


Institution:
Department of Botany,
GDC. Kathua 184 0101.


Corresponding author:
Bhellum

BL.



Email:
blbhellum@gmail.com.


















Phone No:
09469213606





Web Address:
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documents/PS0015.pdf.


Dates:
Received: 15 Jan 2012 /Accepted: 24 Jan 2012 /Published: 23 Feb 2012
Article Citation:
Bhellum

BL.
Floristic analysis of foot hills of Kashmir Himalayas, of Jammu and Kashmir State, India.
Journal of Research in Plant Sciences (2012) 1: 063-066
Original Research
Journal of Research in Plant Sciences
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An International Scientific Research Journal
Journal of Research in
Plant Sciences
An International Scientific
Research Journal


INTRODUCTION
The area lies between 74 30 76 30 E longitude
and 32 30 34 15 N latitude which includes the areas of
Pir Panjal, District Kishtwar, District Ramban and
District Doda. The present investigation of the flora of
the Foothills of Kashmir Himalayas deals with the four
districts of Foot hills of Kashmir Himalayas, India. The
area is highly montane, but it holds in its lap beautiful
valleys, alpine meadows and high plateaus. Most parts of
this region constitute rugged terrains, ravines and
mountains of considerable height. Many of the seasonal
streams, rivulets and brooks join river Chenab
particularly during the rainy season. The foothills of this
region experience extreme climatic variations in the high
altitude. However, the summers are pleasant. The
average rainfall is 107.93 cm and Pir panjal area receives
90- 150 cm of rainfall annually (Anonymus 1949).
January and February are the most rainy months in a year
and in contrast October and November are the months of
poor rainfall. Precipitation in the months of winter is
mostly in the form of snow which accounts for about
50% of the total annual precipitation. It increases with
the rise in elevation up to intermediate slopes beyond
which it declines gradually (Puri 1960). In its adjoining
areas towards north the precipitation in the wettest
months is as much as 635 mm and thereafter from March
to May around 85 mm (Anonymous 2011). Geological
survey of the area was undertaken by Wadia (1931)
which indicates the soil that contains mica, schist,
phyllites, slates, quartzites etc. The metamorphic rocks
are composed of slates, crystalline lime and igneous
intrusions in the form of hills and dolerites.Recently,
Bhellum (2012) reported Conyza sumatrensis (Retz.) E.
Walker (Asteraceae) A new record for the flora of
North-West India from Jammu and Kashmir.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
The plant collections were carried out in the Foot
hills of the Kashmir Himalayas in different seasons
round the year for six years. The specimens were
collected in the polythene bags or ruck-sacks, carried to
the laboratory and then pressed in the wooden plant press
after wrapping in the blotters. The specimens were
changed frequently to reduce discoloration of the foliage
and flowers. The short botanic trips were made along or
in the company of helpers but the long explorations were
always in the company of one or more helpers. The field
data was entered in the field book. The levels were
pasted after mounting the specimens on the Herbarium
sheets and data of the field notes was entered on the
labels. The specimens were identified in the Laboratory
with the help of taxonomic literature. In some cases
where there is difficulty in identification of the floral
parts the part of the plant specimens were boiled for
about 1 or 2 minute to get its natural shape and size.
General Vegetation
The vegetation of the foothills of Kashmir
Himalayas is quite rich having predominantly temperate
flora in view of the climate and altitude of the area.
Majority of the species grow on the northern slopes
while as the area falling on the southern slopes is poorly
vegetated. The flora is colourful particularly in the
months of July and August. During the summer months
lush green herbaceous vegetation covers the ground.
The main flora on the meadows is like Primula
hardiwickii, Alliaria petiolata, Anemone obtusiloba,
Campanula pallida, Cleome viscosa, Colchicum luteum,
Corydalis longipes, cotula anthemoides, Digitalis
purpurea, Fragaria vesca. The slopes bear shrubs and
trees such as Alnus nitida, Castanea sativa, Toona
ciliata, Celtis australis, Crataegus monogyna, Daphne
oleoides, Deutzia corymbosa, Ficus palmata, Indigofera
heterantha, Jasminum humile, Juglans regia, Lonicera
quinquelocuularis, Myrsine Africana, Olea cuspidata,
Parroptiopsis jacquemontiana, Pistacia integerrima,
Plantanus orientalis, Prinsepia utilis, Quercus
floribunda, Rhodendron arboreum, Rubus ellipticus,
Sarcococca saligna.
Bhellum, 2012
064 Journal of Research in Plant Sciences (2012) 1: 063-066
Some other floristic elements that grow along the
rivulets and nallahas are Acorus calamus, Astragalus
grahamianus, Cryptolepis buchanani, Trifolium
pratense, Trigonella emodi, Valeriana jatamansi,
Veronica beccabunga and Viola canescens. The common
species of the alpine areas include Aconitum
deinorrhizum, Ajuga bracteosa, Cassiope fastigiata,
Saxifraga stenophylla, Swertia speciosa. The common
species of Pir Panjal range are Achillea millefolium,
Amaranthus spinosus, Andrachne cordifolia, Artemisia
absinthium, Desmodium triflorum, Fragaria nubicola,
Marrubium vulgare.
Floral analysis
The total number of taxa collected and described
from the present study are 804 species representing 461
genera belonging to 120 families of flowering plants.
The species belonging to 104 families are dicotyledons,
and 95 species representing 16 families are
monocotyledons. The following table gives the break up
of the %age representation of these taxa.
The ratio of genera to species for the district is 1:
1.7 against 1: 1.7 for Udhampur (Swami & Gupta 1998),
1: 1.5 for Jammu (Sharma & Kachroo 1981), and 1: 2.3
for Ladakh Kachroo et al. 1977). The low species genus
ratio in foot hills of Kashmir Himalayas is in all
probability due to the fact that represents a small floral
region.
Table 1 reveals that of the total number of
species collected from this area, nearly 88% are
dicotyledons. Thus, the proportion of mono- to
dicotyledons is 1:7.5. The picture is more or less same
for the floras published from the adjoining districts as
well.
DISCUSSION
The present floristic study comprises of 804
species, 23 subspecies, 34 varieties and 1 forma
representing 461 genera and 120 families of the
flowering plants. Of these, 709 species belonging to 104
families are dicotyledons and 16 families are
monocotyledons. The %age of dicotyledons species are
88. 18%, followed by genera and families 84.82% and
86.67% respectively. In monocotyledons the %age
representation of these taxa are 11.28 for species, 15.18
for genera followed by families 13.33%. The ratio of
genera to species for the district is 1:1.7.

CONCLUSION
Comparison of the 10 dominant families of the
flora of foot hills of Kashmir Himalayas has been made
in terms of their numerical size. Asteraceae occupies first
rank in the flora under study followed by Fabaceae, and
Lamiaceae. It is evident that the flora exhibits a greater
affinity with the flora of western Himalayas than with
that of Eastern Himalayas on account of similarity in
climate and other physical factors.
Predominance of the herbaceous species, mostly
of families Apiaceae, Asteraceae, Brassicaceae,
Caryophyllaceae, Fabaceae, Lamianceae, Poaceae,
Polygonaceae and Ranunculaceae impart characteristics
of alpine flora to the Flora of Foot hills of Kashmir
Himalayas. This is natural in view of the montane
topography of the most parts of the area with many
species common in relation to other parts of Western
Himalayas (Rau, 1975). The low lands of this area share
many species with district Jammu, Udhampur Reasi,
Kathua, Samba Rajouri and Poonch.
Bhellum, 2012
Journal of Research in Plant Sciences (2012) 1: 063-066 065
Group Families % age Genera % age Species % age
Dicotyledons 104 86.67 391 84.82 709 88.18
Monocotyledons 16 13.33 70 15.18 95 11.82
Total 120 461 804
Table 1: Showing the number and %age of families of dicotcotyledons and
monocotyledons, genera and species


Fifty three families l are represented by a single
genus with one or more species. They constitute 43% of
the total number of families in this area. Of these 53
families 11 namely Alangiaceae, Buddlejaceae,
Caryophyllaceae, Cleomaceae, Coriaceae, Custaceae,
Datiscaceae, Ehretiaceae, Morinaceae, Parnassiaceae and
Punicaceae are monotypic. Therefore, 42 families which
include more than one genus have comparatively poorer
representation.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors are grateful to Prof. A. K. Koul,
Dean, Centre for Biodiversity, BGSB University, Rajouri
for encouragement and Prof. Rani Magotra University of
Jammu for her interest in valuable discussion.

REFERENCES
Anonymous. 1949. Monthly and annual normals of
rainfall and rainy days, based on the records up to 1940.
Mem. Indian Met. Dep. Delhi. 27(5):171.

Anoymous. 2011. Biodivesity Characterization at
Landscape Level in Jammu and Kashmir using Satellite
Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System.
Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehra Dun.

Bhellum BL. 2012. Conyza sumatrensis (Retz.) E.
Walker (Asteraceae) A new record for the Flora of
North-West India. Journal of Research in Plant Sciences
1:045-047.

Kachroo P, Sapru BL and Dhar U. 1977. Flora of
Ladakh. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehra Dun.

Puri GS. 1960. Indian Forest Ecology. 1 & 2 New
Delhi.

Rau MA. 1975. High Altitude Flowering Plants of West
Himalayas. BSI. Indian Botanic Garden, Howrah,
Calcutta.

Sharma BM and Kachroo P. 1981. Flora of Jammu
and Plants of Neighbourhood. Bishen Singh Mahendra
Pal Singh, Dehra Dun. I.

Swami A and Gupta BK. 1998. Flora of Udhampur
district. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehra Dun.
Bhellum, 2012
066 Journal of Research in Plant Sciences (2012) 1: 063-066
S. No Families Genera Species
1 Asteraceae 56 96
2 Fabaceae 21 46
3 Lamiaceae 20 43
4 Poaceae 31 35
5 Rosaceae 16 33
6 Apiaceae 17 32
7 Ranunculaceae 10 30
8 Brassicaceae 16 29
9 Polygonaceae 10 20
10 Caryophyllaceae 10 18
Table 2: The 10 dominant families of the area of study
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