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Trees of the Trans-Himalaya: first report of Pinus wallichiana A. B. Jackson from Ladakh

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Abstract

Documenting distribution records of biodiversity at regional scale plays a pivotal role in bridging the Wallacean shortfall in global knowledge on biodiversity. Here, we reported the first distribution record of a tree species, Pinus wallichiana A. B. Jackson to the flora of Ladakh – a remote region in Indian Trans-Himalaya. The tree species grows wild in the interior mountain valley of Kaksar in district Kargil of the region. Taxonomic description and photographic illustrations of the species are provided here to facilitate easy identification. We also highlighted the scientific significance of this new tree species record in better understanding of biogeography, paleoecology and paleo-climate of this remote Trans-Himalayan region in India.

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Acknowledgements

The research scholars at BioTa Lab and supporting staff at Centre for Biodiversity and Taxonomy, Department of Botany, University of Kashmir are acknowledged for their kind help during the course of the present study. We are thankful to Sub-District Magistrate, Drass and Forest Department, Kargil, for granting permission to conduct our botanical survey. We are highly grateful to esteemed reviewers for their useful comments which improved quality of the manuscript.

Funding

First author also acknowledges financial support as senior research fellow provided by the University Grants Commission, New Delhi, during the present study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Biodiversity & Taxonomy, Department of Botany, University of Kashmir, 190006, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India

    Sakina Banoo, Liyaqat Ali & Anzar Ahmad Khuroo

  2. Department of Botany, Kargil Campus – 194103, Kargil, Ladakh, India

    Aijaz Hassan Ganie

Authors
  1. Sakina Banoo
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  2. Liyaqat Ali
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  3. Aijaz Hassan Ganie
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  4. Anzar Ahmad Khuroo
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Correspondence to Sakina Banoo.

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Banoo, S., Ali, L., Ganie, A.H. et al. Trees of the Trans-Himalaya: first report of Pinus wallichiana A. B. Jackson from Ladakh. Vegetos 36, 1239–1244 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42535-022-00497-x

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