INDIAN SCIENCE CONGRESS - India Environment Portal

Section XIV : Plant Sciences 17
Baspa valley in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh has remained one of the
floristically under-explored valleys in the north-west Himalayan region due to its
remote location and limited communication facilities. The valley with an area of
about 400 km 2 and having an altitudinal range from 1750 amsl at Karchum to 4750
amsl at the Rupin pass was surveyed extensively for five years do document the
plant diversity. The study area was stratified into catchment-wise and altitude-wise
zones for uniform repeated surveys, for systematic documentation of the flora,
using random sampling method. The field observations were supported with
herbarium collections and voucher specimens kept in established herbaria including
the DD and the BSI Northern Circle Herbaria at Dehradun. The authenticated
herbarium sheets have been deposited in and accessed to the HFRI Herbarium,
Shimla.
The study resulted in enumeration of 957 taxa belonging to 475 genera
spread over 122 families of Gymnosperms and Angiosperms. While this list
includes 48 cultigens and 35 exotics/ ornamentals species, it is limited to the
extent that it does not include wild grasses and sedges belonging to families
Poaceae and Cyperaceae. An analysis of this list shows that family Asteraceae
with 132 taxa belonging to 61 genera is the most dominant family of flowering
plants in the valley, whereas as per Hooker’s Flora of British India it is the
family Orchidaceae that contains the highest number of plants, with Asteraceae,
placed at the seventh position. Moreover, the number of dicots far exceeds
the monocots and gymnosperms in this valley with a proportion in respect of
species and genera belonging to dicots and monocots being 91 :09 and 90 :10
respectively. The analysis of the growth forms of the species further reveals
that the flora of Baspa valley is predominantly herbaceous with herbs forming
73.3% (702 taxa) of the total flora, followed by 19% shrubs (181 taxa) and
7.7% trees (74 taxa).
The study is a comprehensive enumeration of flora of the valley, for the first
time. It provides base line information to monitor the impacts of various ongoing and
planned developmental activities, including setting up of hydroelectric projects,
development of eco-tourism and establishment of orchards, etc. in the valley. The
study provides necessary inputs for better management and utilization of the land
and plant resources of this pristine valley.