Threatened flora of Uttarakhand: an update

Abstract

Encompassing 1.69% land area of India, Uttarakhand State sustains more than 25% species of flowering plants of India reflecting richness of flora.  Large numbers of species in the state are threatened and several sources have come up with their own lists of threatened species using different threat categories leading to ambiguity.  This communication attempts to compile a complete list of threatened Angiosperm species from eleven authentic sources with updated nomenclature, systematic position, original sources, threat assessment, elevational and global distribution.  A total of 290 species belonging to 176 genera, 63 families, and 29 orders are listed which represent about 6% of the total flora.  Elevational distribution of species shows that the 2–3 km elevation zone harbors more than half of the threatened flora (52.14%) and more than 44% endemic species despite the fact that maximum species richness is known in the 1–2 km elevation zone.  Perusal of literature shows that selection of species for micropropagation is skewed towards medicinal plants rather than only threat status of a species.  A disparity exists in two important sources (IUCN Red List 2020–21 and Indian Red Data Book) listing threatened taxa with only six species common to both.  Eight additional species in IUCN Red List 2020–21 and 49 additional species in Indian Red Data Book are not included and vice versa.  267 species listed as threatened in various sources are not even evaluated by recent IUCN Redlist guidelines and thus warrant their immediate assessment to understand their correct present status in nature.