Abstract
The present study provides an overview of the diversity and distribution of grass species in Lahaul- Spiti district (cold desert) situated in the Trans-Himalayan region i.e. Himachal Pradesh, India. From the study area 141 taxa (138 species and 3 subspecies) belonging to 14 tribes were recorded. The largest tribe was Festuceae followed by Agrostideae having 48 and 20 species, respectively. Two species Poa koelzii and P. Lahaulensis are endemic to Lahaul- Spiti. Puccinellia kashmiriana is rare as per IUCN status. The present study on the grass floral wealth of Lahaul-Spiti provides an important baseline data on grasses for further quantitative and qualitative investigations like their nutritive values, crop improvement programmes and shall also help in the identification of priority conservation areas in the region.
Highlights
The Trans-Himalayan region of India constitutes a Cold Desert biome with harsh climatic conditions of piercing hot summers to long freezing winters
The study area Lahaul and Spiti district can be divided into four valleys based on intersecting river system: Chandra Valley (Chandra River), Bhaga Valley (Bhaga River), Pattan Valley (Chandrabhaga River) and Spiti Valley (Spiti River)
The temperate and alpine grasslands are spread across altitudes higher than 2100 m and include the temperate and cold desert areas of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakahand states
Summary
The Trans-Himalayan region of India constitutes a Cold Desert biome with harsh climatic conditions of piercing hot summers to long freezing winters. The soil is not very fertile and prevailing climatic conditions allow very short growing seasons making it a bare landscape with minimal water resources comprises of glacier-fed streams. The area of their occurrence is Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir; Lahaul and Spiti, Pooh sub division of Kinnaur and Pangi (Chamba District) of Himachal Pradesh. William Moorcraft (1) made the pioneer attempt to collect plants from Lahaul -Spiti and neighboring provinces of Kangra and Kullu in 1821. G. Watt (2) and Aitchinson (3) were among the earlier plant explorers of the 19thcentury. In the 20th century notable collections were made by Joshi
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