Assessment of Floristic Diversity on the Bank of Nigeen Lake, Kashmir Valley

The present study was carried out along the bank of Nigeen Lake, in Srinagar city of Kashmir valley. The aim of the study was to present the scenario of phytosociology with respect to the importance value index (IVI), species diversity, species dominance, and to document the herbal and woody flora. Moreover, medicinal uses of some plants and their status of availability in the area were also studied. The present study was undertaken from June to December, 2014. Overall, 27 herb species belonging to 15 families were recorded along the bank of Nigeen Lake; which includes 13 species of medicinal plants (about 50% of the total flora). While as, in case of woody vegetation, 7 species belonging to 6 families have been recorded and only one species of shrub i.e., Rubus niveus from Rosaceae family has been observed. Outcome of the study revealed that flora of a Nigeen Lake provides information about the total number of plant species present along the riparian zone of Nigeen Lake, their identification, description, distribution and economic utility. Further, the present study can be used as a source of basic data for the management and larger-scale conservation planning of riparian zones of Nigeen Lake.