Refining the picture of lichen biota of Himachal Pradesh together with new distributional records to the state

Abstract

Himachal Pradesh (HP) is one of the biodiversity rich states of Western Himalaya, however meagre information is available regarding lichen biota of this state. In the present study an attempt has been made to provide an updated list of lichens from HP. The list is based on recent collections and some previous available literature made by the authors during the last one decade. A total of 714 species of lichens belonging to 189 genera and 49 families are reported, of which 15 species are new addition to the lichen flora of HP. The Lecanorioid and Parmelioid communities exhibit their dominance in the state and majority of the species are found growing over bark and rocks. The available information on the lichen biota of the state will present the current picture of lichens diversity in the state of Himachal Pradesh and will also serve as a baseline for carrying out future long term monitoring studies.