Current Science

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

Patterns in Distribution, Population Density and Uses of Medicinal Plants along the Altitudinal Gradient in Dhauladhar Mountain Range of Indian Himalayas


Affiliations
1 Ecosystem and Environment Management, Indian Institute of Forest Management, P.B. No. 357, Nehru Nagar, Bhopal 462 003, India
 

We studied the patterns in distribution, population density and uses of medicinal plant species in Dhauladhar mountain range of Himachal Pradesh in Indian Himalayas. The study area was stratified into three zones on the basis of forest types and altitudes. In each zone, quadrats were laid down for sampling of plant species, and the local people were interviewed for gathering information on medicinal uses of plants. A total of 184 plant species were encountered in the sampling plots, of which 86% had medicinal uses. Among woody plant species, the use of bark was highest, whereas in herbaceous species the use of leaf and ischolar_main was highest for treatment of over 32 groups of diseases. In terms of density, Pinus roxburghii was the most dominant tree species in subtropical forests, which declined in temperate regions and was absent in subalpine forests. Rhododendron arboreum was the most dominant tree species in temperate region whereas in subalpine forests it was replaced by Abies pindrow, in terms of density. Berberis asiatica and Vitex negundo were the most dominant shrubs in subtropical forests besides Lantana camera, whereas Berberis lycium dominated the temperate and Juniperus indica dominated the subalpine forests. The heavy infestation of Lantana camera in sub-tropical forests has degraded the habitats of native medicinal plant species. Spearman’s correlation indicates positive correlation between local uses and density of respective medicinal plant species (P < 0.05). The results are further discussed in light of medicinal plants conservation in this part of the Indian Himalayas.

Keywords

Altitude, Dhauladhar Mountain, Indian Himalayas, Medicinal Plants, Population Density, Regeneration.
User
Notifications
Font Size

  • Shengji, P., Ethnobotanical approaches of traditional medicine studies: some experiences from Asia. Pharm. Biol., 2001, 39, 74–79.

  • Farooquee, N. A., Majila, B. S. and Kala, C. P., Indigenous knowledge systems and sustainable management of natural resources in a high altitude society in Kumaun Himalaya, India. J. Hum. Ecol., 2004, 16(1), 33–42.

  • Hamilton, A. J., Species diversity or biodiversity? J. Environ. Manage., 2005, 75(1), 89–92.

  • Majila, B. S. and Kala, C. P., Forest structure and regeneration along the altitudinal gradient in the Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttarakhand, India. Russ. J. Ecol., 2010, 41(1), 75–83.

  • Bhuyan, P., Khan, M. L. and Tripathi, R. S., Tree diversity and population structure in undisturbed and human-impacted stands of tropical wet evergreen forest in Arunachal Pradesh, Eastern Himalayas, India. Biodivers. Conserv., 2003, 12, 1753–1773.

  • Kala, C. P. and Silori, C. S., Biodiversity, Communities and Climate Change. The Energy and Resources Institute, New Delhi , 2013.

  • Tilman, D., Reich, P. B. and Knops, J. M., Biodiversity and ecosystem stability in a decade-long grassland experiment. Nature, 2006, 441(7093), 629–632.

  • Ronnells, K. and Laumonier, Y., Species diversity structure analysis at two sites in the tropical rain forest of Sumatra. J. Trop. Ecol., 2000, 16, 253–270.

  • Sagar, R., Raghubanshi, A. S. and Singh, J. S., Tree species composition, dispersion and diversity along a disturbance gradient in a dry tropical forest region of India. For. Ecol. Manage., 2003, 186, 61–71.

  • Gilliam, F. S., Turrill, N. L. and Adams, M. B., Herbaceous‐layer and overstory species in clear‐cut and mature central Appalachian hardwood forests. Ecol. Appl., 1995, 5(4), 947–955.

  • Kala, C. P., Ecology and conservation of alpine meadows in the Valley of Flowers National Park, Garhwal Himalaya. Ph D thesis, Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, India, 1998.

  • Sharma, N., Conservation and utilization of medicinal and aromatic plants in Dhauladhar mountain range of Himachal Pradesh. Ph D thesis, Forest Research Institute (Deemed University), Dehradun, India, 2017.

  • Champion, H. G. and Seth, S. K., A Revised Survey of the Forest Types of India, Govt. of India Publication, New Delhi, 1968.

  • Chauhan, N. S., Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of Himachal Pradesh. Indus Publishing, New Delhi, 1999.

  • Kala, C. P., Status and conservation of rare and endangered medicinal plants in the Indian trans-Himalaya. Biol. Conserv., 2000, 93(3), 371–379.

  • Mohan, N. P., Ecology of Pinus longifolia in Kangra and Hosiarpur forest divisions. Indian For., 1933, 59(12), 812–826.

  • Singh, R., Sood, V. K., Bhatia, M. and Thakur, G. C., Phytosociological studies on tree vegetation around Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. Indian J. For., 1991, 14(3), 169–180.

  • Kumar, A. et al., Regeneration pattern of tree species in forested landscapes of Himachal Pradesh, Western Himalayan Region, India. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., India Sect. B: Biol. Sci., 2014, 84(3), 695–707.

  • Agrawal, A. and Chhatre, A., Explaining success on the commons: Community forest governance in the Indian Himalaya. World Dev., 2006, 34(1), 149–166.

  • Sharma, S. and Kala, C. P., Utilization pattern, population density and supply chain of Rhododendron arboreum and Rhododendron campanulatum in Dhauladhar Mountain Range of Himachal Pradesh, India. Appl. Ecol. Environ. Sci., 2016, 4(4), 102–107.

  • Kala, C. P., Medicinal Plants of Uttarakhand: Diversity, Livelihood and Conservation, Biotech Books, Delhi, 2010.

  • Modgil, D. and Kapil, M., Allelopathic activity of Pinus roxburghii Sarg. and Rhododendron arboreum Sm. leaves. Indian For., 1990, 116(6), 512–514.

  • Saikia, P. and Khan, M. L., Population structure and regeneration status of Aquilaria malaccensis Lam. in home gardens of Upper Assam, northeast India. Trop. Ecol., 2013, 54, 1–13.

  • Kala, C. P. and Dubey, Y., Anthropogenic disturbances and status of forest and wildlife in the dry deciduous forests of Chhattisgarh state in India. J. For. Res., 2012, 23(1), 45–52.

  • Kala, C. P., Forest structure and anthropogenic pressures in the Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve of India. J. For. Res., 2015, 26(4), 867–874.

  • Carpenter, C., The environmental control of plant species density on a Himalayan elevation gradient. J. Biogeogr., 2005, 32(6), 999–1018.

  • Kala, C. P., Indigenous uses and structure of chir pine forest in Uttaranchal Himalaya, India. Int. J. Sustain. Develop. World Ecol., 2004, 11(2), 205–210.


Abstract Views: 310

PDF Views: 77




  • Patterns in Distribution, Population Density and Uses of Medicinal Plants along the Altitudinal Gradient in Dhauladhar Mountain Range of Indian Himalayas

Abstract Views: 310  |  PDF Views: 77

Authors

Natasha Sharma
Ecosystem and Environment Management, Indian Institute of Forest Management, P.B. No. 357, Nehru Nagar, Bhopal 462 003, India
Chandra Prakash Kala
Ecosystem and Environment Management, Indian Institute of Forest Management, P.B. No. 357, Nehru Nagar, Bhopal 462 003, India

Abstract


We studied the patterns in distribution, population density and uses of medicinal plant species in Dhauladhar mountain range of Himachal Pradesh in Indian Himalayas. The study area was stratified into three zones on the basis of forest types and altitudes. In each zone, quadrats were laid down for sampling of plant species, and the local people were interviewed for gathering information on medicinal uses of plants. A total of 184 plant species were encountered in the sampling plots, of which 86% had medicinal uses. Among woody plant species, the use of bark was highest, whereas in herbaceous species the use of leaf and ischolar_main was highest for treatment of over 32 groups of diseases. In terms of density, Pinus roxburghii was the most dominant tree species in subtropical forests, which declined in temperate regions and was absent in subalpine forests. Rhododendron arboreum was the most dominant tree species in temperate region whereas in subalpine forests it was replaced by Abies pindrow, in terms of density. Berberis asiatica and Vitex negundo were the most dominant shrubs in subtropical forests besides Lantana camera, whereas Berberis lycium dominated the temperate and Juniperus indica dominated the subalpine forests. The heavy infestation of Lantana camera in sub-tropical forests has degraded the habitats of native medicinal plant species. Spearman’s correlation indicates positive correlation between local uses and density of respective medicinal plant species (P < 0.05). The results are further discussed in light of medicinal plants conservation in this part of the Indian Himalayas.

Keywords


Altitude, Dhauladhar Mountain, Indian Himalayas, Medicinal Plants, Population Density, Regeneration.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv114%2Fi11%2F2323-2328