Phytogeographical Assessment of Family Poaceae Barnhart in Western Himalaya, India

A phytogeographical assessment of grass family Poaceae in three states namely Himachal Pradesh (HP), Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and Uttarakhand (UK) of Western Himalaya found that 5.06% of the taxa found globally have been abundant in the region. Overall, 582 species belonging to 143 genera and 29 tribes of the family were found distributed among the three states. UK was found exhibiting maximum number of taxa with the highest level of Shannon’s diversity index (4.13) based diversity among them.Maximum number of the species of the family was distributed over the altitudinal range of 1500−2000 m showing a hump shaped curve. Poa L. was found as the most diverse genus, and Andropogoneae was found with maximum number of the species dominantly distributed in the region. Among the overall species found in the region, 61 taxa of the family were enlisted in IUCN red list hence prioritized for conservational purposes.