Abstract
Kumaun Himalaya is a home to various threatened medicinal and aromatic plants. Picrorhiza kurroa is a threatened medicinal plant useful in curing many diseases in Indian Himalayan region. Due to overharvesting from the wild its population is decreasing at an alarming rate. The present study attempted to assess its availability and predict highly suitable areas for in situ conservation in the alpine region of Kumaun. Availability of P. kurroa across various meadows was evaluated through rapid mapping exercise. MaxEnt model was used to predict the geographical distribution of the species using various environmental and physiographic parameters, and 29 primary distribution points. The results reveal that potential habitat of P. kurroa is located near forest fringes. Of the 3,828km2 area (vegetated) of the alpine region of Kumaun, about 202km2 is recorded highly suitable, 489km2 less suitable and the rest not suitable for the species. It is also revealed that Napalchu nala, Panchachuli base, Chhipla Kedar, Rongkong, Ralam, Milam, Dwali, and Pindari areas are highly suitable areas for distribution of P. kurroa.
Highlights
Picrorhiza kurroa (Scrophulariaceae; vernacular name Kutki) (Image 1) is a perennial herb confined to alpine region of the Himalaya
Study area This study was undertaken in the alpine region of the Kumaun Himalaya, part of the central Indian Himalayan region (IHR), a major habitat of glacial and non-glacial herbs above 3,000m
In the Indian Himalayan region, a large number of studies have been carried out on ecology, systematics, and inventorisation of phytodiversity (Dhar et al 1997; Samant et al 2002; Joshi & Samant 2004); a few studies are available on population ecology and ecological niche modelling (ENM) (Ray et al 2011; Adhikari et al 2012; Barik & Adhikari 2012; Yang et al 2013; Samant & Lal 2015) in the region
Summary
Picrorhiza kurroa (Scrophulariaceae; vernacular name Kutki) (Image 1) is a perennial herb confined to alpine region of the Himalaya. In India, P. kurroa is naturally distributed from Kashmir to Sikkim in the subalpine to alpine region between 3,000–5,300 m (Chettri et al 2005). It prefers rocky crevices and grows on moist, rocky slopes in organic rich soil. A drug named picroliv (iridoid glycoside fraction of roots and rhizomes) containing at least 60% of 1:1.5 mixture of picroside-I and kutkoside) has been developed for the treatment of acute and chronic hepatitis, and healthy carriers (Dhawan 1993) It is used in liver and stomach medicines and prescribed for treatment of respiratory and allergic diseases (Sarin 2008). P. kurroa is among the top 15 traded plant species in India in terms of economic value (Ved & Goraya 2008)
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