Floristic diversity and medicinally important plant species in the hillside of Landour, Mussoorie

Abstract

Himalayan region is well recognized for a plethora of medicinal plants. Landour is located at an altitude of about 6,800 to 7,798 ft in the Lower Western Himalaya, in the Mussoorie Range. It encompasses a considerable forested area, of Banj Oak (Quercus leucotrichophora) with intermittent Deodars, Pines and Rhododendrons. The present paper reveals the floristic diversity and medicinally important plant species present in the hillside of Landour, Mussoorie. During the study 97 species of vascular plants (Angiosperms and Gymnosperms) belonging to 54 families were recorded from the study area. There were 24 tree species, 44 species of herbs, 24 species of shrubs, 5 species of climbers. The major families of Angiosperms in the region are Asteraceae (8 genera, 9 species), followed by Rosaceae (5 genera, 6 species), Lamiaceae (3 genera, 4 species) and 4 genera of Pinaceae, Acanthaceae, Polygonaceae, 3 genera of Cornaceae, Sapindaceae, Urticaceae. The majority percentage of the ground cover is comprised of herbs. A total of 74 plant species were identified in the region which have medicinal properties among which 20 plant species are trees, 16 plant species are shrubs, 36 plant species are herbs and 2 climbers. All plants with botanical names, common names, family, habit, and medicinal properties were listed and tabulated.