Floristic inventory and diversity assessment and its socio-economic importance in outer Seraj region of district Kullu, Himachal Pradesh

The present study was conducted to find out the floristic diversity in outer Seraj region of Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh. A total of 931 species of vascular plants belonging to 142 families of 605 genera were recorded. Out of these, 913 species were angiosperms, 12 gymnosperms, 5 pteridophytes and 1 species belonging to thallophyte. In the recorded floristic diversity, 851 species were found socio-economically important. The most represented family among dicotyledons was Asteraceae followed by Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Apiaceae, Rosaceae, Brassicaceae, Apocynaceae, Amaranthaceae, Polygonaceae and Ranunculaceae. On the other hand, among the Monocotyledons, the most predominant family was Poaceae followed by Orchidaceae, Asparagaceae, Liliaceae and Araceae. Among the recorded species, Artemisia and Ficus were the species-rich genera followed by Euphorbia, Impatiens, Lonicera, Persicaria, Potentila, Swertia, Rosa and Berberis. The prevention of cattle grazing, restricted extraction of wood and controlling the burning may help in the conservation and management of biodiversity and, in addition, also meeting the basic needs of population living in this region.