Flora of Kullu District Himachal Pradesh

The flora deals with Kullu-Manali tract, an area which attracts the maximum number of tourists in Himachal Pradesh (N-W Himalaya). Enchanting natural beauty, mountainous surrounding, charming valleys, snowy peaks, a mixture of brilliant sunshine and lilac and hazy atmosphere make the landscape spectacular. The internationally famous holiday resort of Manali on the banks of river Beas nestles below the mighty Pir Panjal range to the north and Dhauladhar range to the east. It is often frequented by Indian and foreign visitors all the year round because of its salubrious climate and entry point or base camp for the tourists/hikers to Rohtang pass which leads to the N-W Himalayan cold desert of Lahaul-Spiti. These features and the rich vegetation of the area have also fascinated the botanists since the last 180 years or so. Surprisingly, hardly any worthwhile floristic survey work has so far been done in this area. The present monograph is thus the first serious taxonomic research on the vegetation of Kullu district incorporating a decade of field collections, systematic surveys and study of exsiccata and taxonomic literature in different herbaria. In addition to a comprehensive floristic account of the existing vegetation, the monograph deals with 930 species of seed plants distributed among 504 genera belonging to 126 families. Besides, three species are described under ‘Addenda’.