Vegetation of Tsokar lake and Puga valley, Trans-Himalaya

The alpine zones of Ladakh are floristically and geobotanically very interesting. In the past these were poorly known botanically because of the ruggedness and inaccessibility of the area. The varied climatic conditions and habitat types have a main role to play in establishing the vegetation of these zones. A total of 122 taxa were identified from collections made during the summer months (July, August and September) of the year 1976. These areas fall in an altitudinal range of 4000 to 5000 m. Fifteen taxa are reported as new records for this region. Six different habitat types were recognised on the basis of local distribution of these taxa, viz. 1. Rocky and gravelly sites; 2. Alkaline swamps; 3. Silty and clay sites; 4. Stream sites; 5. Meadow and shrub fields and 6. Cultivated field sites. A comprehensive inventory of the flowering plants of this region is given in the paper.