Paper Details

Abstract

Floristic diversity and ecological characteristics of vegetation in many regions of Pakistan remain insufficiently explored, particularly in Kashmir Smast Valley, Mardan. This study was conducted during 2022–2023 to assess plant diversity and ecological features of the vegetation in this understudied area. A total of 386 plant species belonging to 284 genera and 92 families were recorded. Dicotyledons dominated with 298 species across 67 families, followed by monocotyledons (67 species, 11 families), pteridophytes (9 species, 5 families), gymnosperms (4 species, 2 families), and bryophytes (6 species, 5 families). Poaceae (49 species, 12.69%) was the most diverse family, followed by Asteraceae (40 species, 10.36%) and Fabaceae (21 species, 5.44%), with the remaining families contributing fewer species. Therophytes were the dominant life form (212 species, 54.92%), while microphylls were the most common leaf size class (133 species, 34.45%). The vegetation was largely herbaceous (279 species, 72.27%), with fewer shrubs (49 species, 12.69%), trees (48 species, 12.43%), and lianas (10 species, 2.59%). Seasonally, species richness was highest in spring (359 species, 39.02%) and lowest in winter (81 species, 8.80%), with most species flowering in spring (59.58%). Chorological analysis indicated that biregional species dominated (157 species, 40.57%), followed by mono-regional (134 species, 34.71%) and pluri-regional taxa (74 species, 17.35%). Most species were non-spiny (334) and wild (288), and simple leaves were the predominant leaf type (312 species, 80.82%). Perennials constituted the majority of species (231, 59.84%), followed by annuals (100, 25.90%) and biennials (55, 14.24%). Overall, vegetation structure, including life-form and leaf-size spectra, showed strong associations with environmental variables such as altitude, slope, precipitation, and temperature, highlighting the ecological heterogeneity of the study area.

To Cite This Article