Researcher 2014;6(8) http://www.sciencepub.net/researcher ‘Chakrata’: A Floristically Less Explored Pocket of Garhwal Himalaya Jagbeer Cheema1, Aniket Bhattacharya2 and Ashok Aggarwal1* 1Department of Botany, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, Haryana, India 2 Department of Botany, Centre of Advanced Study, University of Calcutta, Kolkata West Bengal, India * [email protected] Abstract: Chakrata Forest Division, located in Garhwal Himalaya, harbors a rich floristic diversity due to great variations in its topography, altitude and climate. Although from the vary past, many workers have focused on the exploration of floristic diversity of different places of Garhwal Himalaya but only a few reports are available on ‘Chakrata’. The available reports about this area are mainly concerned with the ecological and ethnobotanical aspects. So a great lacuna is prevailing in the scenario of the floristic study of this region. The flora of this region is undergoing great stress due to anthropogenic disturbances mainly from the rapid urbanization and tourism, making the situation alarming day by day. So, floristic study and diversity assessments are obligatory to understand the present diversity status and conservation of biodiversity. The present review paper gives a brief idea about the previous and present picture of the floristic diversity of this study area. [Jagbeer Cheema Aniket Bhattacharya and Ashok Aggarwal. Chakrata’: A Floristically Less Explored Pocket of Garhwal Himalaya. Researcher 2014;6(8):45-50]. (ISSN: 1553-9865). http://www.sciencepub.net/researcher. 6 Keywords: Chakrata, Garhwal Himalaya, Floristic diversity, Taxonomist, Ethnobotanical 1. Introduction field of plant systematics. But Carl Linnaeus’s Plant taxonomists are engaged in collecting “Species Plantarum”, published in 1753 and the tenth information about diversity and distribution of plants edition of “Systema Naturae” in 1758 is regarded as throughout the world through floristic studies the starting points of modern botanical taxonomy (Qureshi et. al., 2011). It helps in accumulation of (Manktelow, 2010). valuable data which can be used for future studies. Flora is the characteristic assets and wealth of a Floristic studies are the study of distribution, number, nation (Panda, 2014) as it is meeting all kinds of types and relationship of plant species over crucial necessities of the people as food, fodder, fuel, geographic areas. It helps us to evaluate the floral drugs, timber, gums and oil, etc. (Ganorkar Ravindra, wealth of any given area. Taxonomy is an integral 2013) and procuring knowledge of it is of enormous part of floristic studies and deals with identification, scientific and commercial importance. Plant nomenclature and classification of plants community assumes a vital role in the sustainable (Subramanyam & Nayar, 1974). It may be considered management by maintaining biodiversity and as the oldest science in the world, as it has always conserving the environment (Farooquee and Saxena, been essential to distinguish the edible plants from 1996). The knowledge of the floristic composition of those which are poisonous and inedible (Narayanan, the plant community is essential to understand the 2012). overall structure and function of any ecosystem. It The history of floristic inventories dates back to likewise helps us to comprehend the fundamental 3000 BC in Eastern World, when Shen Nung, aspects of biology such as speciation, isolation, Emperor of China, wrote a pharmacopoeia, “Divine endemism and evolution (Panda, 2014). Husbandman's Materia Medica” including 365 medicines derived from minerals, plants, and 2. Previous Reports on Floristic Diversity of animals. Wall paintings of medicinal plants, dating Garhwal Himalaya back around 1500 BC, have been discovered in Garhwal Himalaya is the mountain range Egypt. The paintings give us information about located in the western part of Uttarakhand. It is medicinal plants in old Egypt and their names. situated at the transition zone of three Theophrastus (370–285 BC) classified all known biogeographical regions with their unique floristic plants in his, “De Historia Plantarum”, which composition, which are: Tibetan region in the North, contained 480 species. Dioscorides (40–90 AD), Upper Gangetic Plain in the South and Eastern Plinius (23–79 AD), Caesalpino (1519–1603), Himalayas in the East. Due to this type of Bauhin brothers (1541–1631; 1560–1624), John Ray biogeographic position, this area is very rich in (1627–1705), Joseph Pitton de Tournefort (1656– floristic diversity and thus it is considered as one of 1708) are some other workers who contributed in the 45 Researcher 2014;6(8) http://www.sciencepub.net/researcher the important hubs for the taxonomists from long (Rajwar & Gupta, 1981), Flowering Plants of Pauri past. and its Vicinity (Naithani & Tiwari, 1983), Alpine The first record of floristic studies in Garhwal flora of Tugnath in Garhwal Himalayas (Semwal & dates back to 1796 when Thomas Hardwicke, an Gaur, 1984), A contribution to the flora of Pokhari English officer first collected plants from Alaknanda Block, Chamoli (Garhwal), Western Himalayas Valley (Burkill, 1965), followed by other Britishers, (Sharma & Gaur, 1984), Flora of Chamoli District namely Royle (1824) and Jameson (1842- 1846). (Naithani, 1984-85), A contribution to the Flora of Hooker and Thomson (1855) cited a large number of Dodital- A high altitude lake in Garhwal Himalaya, taxa from this area in “Flora Indica”. During 1872- Uttarkashi (Negi et al., 1985), A contribution to the 1897, Hooker published his largest systematic flora of Khatling Glacier in the Garhwal Himalayas, outcome, ‘Flora of British India’ in seven volumes. (Dist. Tehri) (Negi et al., 1987), Forest Resources of The work was based on the collections made during Surkanda Devi, Garhwal Himalayas (Negi & Gupta, 1848-1851 by several workers and dealt with the 1987), Floristic and Vegetational Composition in an phanerogams of the former British India which also Alpine Zone of North West Himalayas (Nautiyal et included plants from some areas of Garhwal. al., 1998), Flora of District Garhwal (1999), The floristic studies in this region accelerated Phytodiversity (Angiosperms and gymnosperms) in with the establishment of Botanical Garden at Mandal- Chopta Forest of Garhwal Himalaya, Saharanpur by Hastings in 1820 and Forest Research Uttarakhand, India (Gairola et a. 2010) and An Institute in 1906. On the basis of collections made by Inventory of the Flora of Binog Wildlife Sanctuary, Strachey and Winterbottom during the years 1846- Mussoorie, Garhwal Himalaya (Kumar et al. 2012) 1849, Duthie published a catalogue on the plants of Apart from the above work, a few Universities Garhwal in 1906. This was followed by Marten and Research Institutions also conducted floristic (1909) and Allen (1919) who collected plants from studies in Garhwal region. The floras of most of the Mussoorie. Some plant species of Garhwal have been districts of Garhwal are outcome of Ph.D. works viz., illustrated by Collett (1921) in his “Flora Simlensis”. Forest flora of Tehri Garhwal (Biswas, 1984), Quite comprehensive information on the ferns has Herbaceous flora of Uttarkashi district (Badoni, been provided by Stewart (1942) in “The Ferns of 1989), Forest flora of Pauri Garhwal (Bartwal, 1991), Mussoorie and Dehradun”. Taxonomic Survey of Grasses of Garhwal Himalaya The establishment of Northern Circle of (Nautiyal, 1996), etc. Botanical Survey of India at Dehradun in 1956 was Besides these general floristic studies still another landmark in the onward progress of ethnobotanical studies in several regions were also floristic research in this area. It laid down the carried out. Notable ethnobotanical surveys from foundation for publication of numerous research Garhwal were mainly conducted by Gaur et al., papers and some important books on the Garhwal (1984), Gaur & Tiwari (1987), Negi et al., (1993), flora. In 1975, Rau published “High Altitude Maikhuri et al., (1997), Rana (2007), Rana et al., Flowering Plants of West Himalaya”. Naithani (2010 & 2013 ), Dangwal et al. (2011), and others. collected plants during 1976- 1983 and published “Flora of Chamoli” (1984; 1985) citing 1934 species. 3. Floristic Diversity of Chakrata: Past Scenario Some illustrations of plants from this region have and the Present Status appeared in “Flowers of the Himalaya” by Polunin Chakrata, also known as “Jaunsar- Bawar”, is and Stainton (1984). Nayar and Sastry, (1990) has situated in Dehradun district in Garhwal Himalayas listed 619 species of vascular plants as threatened in between 30 º 31' to 31 º 3' N latitudes and 77 º 42' to India in “The Indian Red Data Book” and out of them 78 º 5' E longitudes, covering an area of 30 species belong to the Garhwal region. Dang approximately 1,999.50 km2. Physiographically, it is (1993) also mentioned many plants from Garhwal in a highly mountainous region located between the his “Flowers of Western Himalaya”. upper courses of river Yamuna and Tons. The The notable publications on the flora of altitude of the region at the confluence of river Garhwal are: Flowering Plants and Ferns of Northern Yamuna and Tons is 463 m and rises to 3,048 m at Garhwal (Rau, 1961), A visit to Valley of Flowers Kharamba, the highest peak in the region (Porwal & and Lake Hemkund in North Garhwal (Rau, 1961), Pant, 1989). The climate of Chakrata varies from Forest Flora of Chakrata, Dehradun and Saharanpur sub- tropical to temperate. There are three forest division (Kanjilal,