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Floristic Diversity of India: An Overview

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Biodiversity of the Himalaya: Jammu and Kashmir State

Part of the book series: Topics in Biodiversity and Conservation ((TOBC,volume 18))

Abstract

The present chapter gives a synthesis of the floristic diversity of India, dwelling briefly on its ecosystem diversity, vegetation pattern, species richness in various taxonomic groups traditionally dealt with as plants (angiosperms, gymnosperms, pteridophytes, bryophytes, algae, fungi and lichens), endemism and primitive angiosperms and phytogeographical analysis of the flora. It is estimated that out of 49,003 species of plants forming the evident vegetal cover, angiosperms comprise ca. 18,532 species, representing ca. 10% of all known flowering plants of the world. The largest angiosperm family in the number of species is Leguminosae (with 1421 spp.), followed by Poaceae (1291spp.), Orchidaceae (1251 spp.), Asteraceae (1120 spp.) and Rubiaceae (679 spp.). The largest genus is Impatiens (with 279 spp.), followed by Carex (160 spp.), Pedicularis (145 spp.), Bulbophyllum and Primula (135 spp. each). Existing estimate pertaining to the political boundaries of present-day India is that about 4300 (23.20%) of 18,532 flowering plant species are endemic to this country.

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Acknowledgements

A review paper encompassing such an extensive canvas of literature could not have been possible without help from within Botanical Survey of India and various universities and institutes. I thank the staff of Botanical Survey of India, particularly different subject experts, for helping in collating the information on different groups of plants.

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  1. Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata, India

    Paramjit Singh

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  1. Paramjit Singh
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India

    Ghulam Hassan Dar

  2. Centre for Biodiversity and Taxonomy, Department of Botany, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India

    Anzar A. Khuroo

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Singh, P. (2020). Floristic Diversity of India: An Overview. In: Dar, G., Khuroo, A. (eds) Biodiversity of the Himalaya: Jammu and Kashmir State . Topics in Biodiversity and Conservation, vol 18. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9174-4_3

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