Phytogeographic analysis and diversity of grasses and sedges

Pak. J. Bot., 47(SI): 93-104, 2015.
PHYTOGEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS AND DIVERSITY OF GRASSES
AND SEDGES (POALES) OF NORTHERN PAKISTAN
ZAHID ULLAH1*
, MUSHTAQ AHMAD2
AND SHUJAUL MULK KHAN2*
1
Center for Plant Sciences and Biodiversity, University of Swat, Pakistan
2
Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
*
Corresponding author’s e-mail: zahidmatta@gmail.com, shuja60@gmail.com
Abstract
The monocot order Poales is one of the largest (ca. 20,000 species), and economically and ecologically most important
group of flowering plants. Exploring this important component of the biodiversity is of paramount significance in
conservation of species and developing climate change models. Northern Pakistan occupies a unique biogeographic position
at the summit of the planet’s three highest mountain ranges i.e.Himalaya, Hindukush and Karakurum.These ranges contain
the hot spots of floral and faunal diversity with high proportions of endemic and rare species.The studies revealed 117
species belonging to 30 genera in three families of the order Poales. Juncaceae is represented by single genus Juncuswith
four species, Cyperaceae by 5 genera and 27 species, and Poaceae being the dominant family with 25 genera and 86
species. Carexand Poaare the largest genera having 21 and 16 species respectively. Phytogeographic analysis of the
Poalesof temperate and alpine regions of Northern Pakistan shows twelve different phytogeographic elements. The highest
percentage of species (30%) belongs to the western Himalayan floristic region (near endemics), with cosmopolitan elements
(19%), Central Asian elements (17%) and Eurasian elements (12%) being the other significant elements. The proportion of
Endemic species (8%) is less apparent, while the rest of the seven categories are poorly represented. The Two Way Cluster
Analysis (TWCA) divided the sixteen districts into two major groups, and four subgroups based on environmental gradients
of altitude, latitude and longitude. TWCA classified the data matrix including 114 species into seven clusters based on
presence/absence data and elevation from mean sea level. Species in each cluster can be attributed to similar habitat
conditions and altitudinal ranges. Hence it is clear that climatic characters associated with each category control the species
distribution pattern.
Key Words: Phytogeography, Floristic elements, Diversity, Grasses, Sedges, Northern Pakistan
Introduction
Plant species are neither evenly nor randomly
distributed on the surface of the earth, but rather in
definite geographic units, governed so by the physical
environment and climate (Qian, 2001). Factors affecting
the spatial distribution of species include both abiotic and
biotic factors, such as soil, topography, geology, tectonic
movements, mountain uplifting, climate change and
species evolution and migration. Analysis of the
distribution patterns of plants (phytogeography) is
extremely valuable in perception of the ecological nature
of a region and its plants wealth. Geographic analysis of
plants is of utmost importance in tracing the origin of
particular flora, its range of distribution, evolution and
diversification. Floristic inventories and phytogeographic
patterns of vegetation provide an understanding of plant
species diversity and management plans for their
conservation (Harris et al.,, 2012; Qian, 2001). Such
studies are also very useful in the context of the global
climate change and its biological impacts (Grabherr et
al.,, 1995; Körner, 2003; Wilson et al., 2007).
A useful approach for characterization of flora of a
region and knowing its biogeographical affinities with
flora of other regions is to classify its component taxa in
to phytogeographic elements (Qian et al.,, 2006; Stott,
1981). Using this quantitative phytogeographic approach
Takhtajan (1986) identified 5 floristic provinces in
Pakistan. These are Sindian province, Southern Iranian
province, Northern Baluchistan province, Western
Himalayan province and Tibetan province. The flora of
Northern Pakistan has geographic affinities with Central
Asia, extending in the west from Turkey to the Gobi
desert in the east. The western Himalaya is considered as
the most species rich and dominant province with greater
number of endemic taxa. This province represents a
transition between the ancient Mediterranean and eastern
Asiatic floras.
There are several studies exist on the subject
underpinning different regions of the globe. For instance,
Ocak et al., (2009) studied the floristic affinities and
conservation status of wild Poaceaespecies from Malatya
province Turkey. The Irano-Turanian elements were
dominant with 28.7%, followed by Mediterranean and
Euro-Siberian regions. Norooziet al., (2008) analyzed the
alpine flora of Iran that occur above 4000 m, and reported
682 species in 39 families. They found that the flora of
Iranian alpines is a transition of Anatolia, Caucasus and
the Hindu Kush, with a strong (58%) endemism. Dávila-
Aranda et al., (2004) discussed the distribution pattern of
Mexican endemic grasses. Garcia et al., (2009) compared
distribution of 224 species of grasses of Brazilian Campos
based on climate and geographic position. Haq et al.,
(2011) studied the diversity and distribution pattern of
cosmopolitan genus Carex L. from Kashmir Himalayas.
Ullahet al., (2013) studied the phylogeny of genus Carex
from Northern Pakistan and found its origin from central
Asian elements. The distribution pattern and endemism of
family Crassulaceae from Pakistan and Kashmir were
investigated by (Sarwar & Qaiser, 2012) and concluded
that 15 taxa are of Irano-Turanian affinity, 16 are Sino-
Japanese elements and only one is Mediterranean
element. Breckle (1974) evaluated phytogeographic
pattern of the alpine and nival vegetation of Afghanistan

ZAHID ULLAH ET AL.,94
and stated that the flora has a close relationship with
Central Asian plants.
There are few sporadic phytogeographic studies
dealing with the flora of Northern areas of Pakistan. The
high alpine region of Northern Pakistan is botanically and
ecologically poorly investigated (Khan et al., 2013a & b).
In comparison to the lowland areas there are still little in-
depth studies, which deal with the alpine flora and
biodiversity (Shaheen et al., 2011). No scientific study
arise de novo. The major goal of this work is to provide a
detailed study of the grasses and sedges which are
distributed in the alpine and temperate region of Northern
Pakistan, with focus on distribution pattern and
phytogeographic relationship with the rest of the world. A
second goal of the study is to analyze the endemism and
propose the origin of the flora of the region.
Material and Methods
Data gathering: The distribution pattern of species
belonging to the order Poales for Northern Pakistan (Fig. 1)
that occurs in the alpine and temperate region (2000 m,
a.s.l) is based primarily on the extensive field excursions
between 2008 and 2013. The species were studied in their
natural habitats, and geographic coordinates, altitudes,
habitat type and aspect of occurrence were recorded for
each species. In addition to this, information on species
distribution were extracted from the specimens housed in
the following herbaria: ISL, E, K, BM, KUH, RAW and
US, acronyms after (Holmgren et al., 1990). Most of the
information has been drawn from comprehensive literature
(Chen et al., 2006; Clayton et al., 2006 onwards; Cope,
1982; Jafri, 1981; Kukkonen, 2001; Renvoize et al., 2007;
Simon et al., 2011; Soreng et al., 2009; Stewart, 1972;
Tutin, 1993; Watson & Dalwitz, 1992). Information was
also extracted from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Herbarium Catalogue, TROPICOS (Missouri Botanical
Garden), and Global Biodiversity Information Facility
(GBIF) online databases.
Data analysis: Based on our results extracted from
survey of detailed literature, monographs, floras and
personal experience, a set of 11 floristic elements were
identified, as described in Table. 1. The description and
classification of floristic elements are based on (Brummitt
et al., 2001). The map of Northern Pakistan (Fig. 1)
illustrates the position and geographic coordinates of all
the 16 districts included in the present study. These
districts includes 1) Ghanche, 2) Skardu, 3) Astore, 4)
Diamer, 5) Hunza-Nagar, 6) Gilgit, 7) Ghizer, 8) Chitral,
9) Dir, 10) Swat, 11) Kohistan, 12) Mansehra, 13)
Abbotabad 14) Neelum, 15) Muzaffarabad and 16) Bagh.
The presence/absence and elevation data for each
species was recorded and arranged in EXCEL spreadsheets
and analyzed. The analyses were done through multivariate
statistics in PC-ORD version 5 (McCune & Mefford,
1999). In order to find out the pattern of distribution of
species along the altitudinal gradient Two Way Cluster
analysis (TWCA) using Sorensen measures was
subsequently applied to the data (Greig-Smith, 2010). The
cluster analysis, group similar entities together in a single
cluster and result in a dendrogram.
Fig. 1.(A) Reference map of Pakistan (B) Map of Northern Pakistan, showing location of the representative districts with geographic
coordinates.

PHYTOGEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF THE GRASSES AND SEDGES 95
Table. 1. Definitions of floristic elements.
No. Floristic Element Distribution
1 Cosmopolitan These are species with worldwide distribution on all or almost all continents.
2 Pantropical
Occurring in and around the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, some taxa may
extend to temperate region.
3 Palaeotropical Distributed in the tropics of Asia, Australia and Africa, also called old-world’s tropics.
4 Holarctic
Taxa distributed primarily in the cold temperate regions of Europe, Asia and North America
(Northern Hemisphere).
5 Circum Polar Occurring in the polar regions of both the hemisphere.
6 Western Himalayan
Species with centre of diversity in NW Himalayas, however occasionally may extend
eastward to eastern Himalayas or northwards to central Asia and Afghanistan.
7 Eurasian
Widely distributed across the temperate zone of Europe and Asia. Some of them may extend
into the northernmost part of Africa.
8 Irano-Turanian
Taxa with centre of diversity in western Asia: Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Irano-Armenia and
extends up to Tien-Shan.
9 Central Asian
These elements are distributed in the temperate central Asia, Caucasus, Tien-shan, Siberia and
western Asia; with distribution centers mainly in temperate Asia but some species may
occasionally extend to subtropical regions.
10 Mediterranean
Taxa distributed across the Mediterranean region in southern Europe, western Asia, and North
Africa.
11 African Species occurring in central tropical Africa and may extend northeastward to the Himalayas.
12 Endemic Species which are restricted to the Northern Pakistan and adjoining Kashmir.
Fig. 2. Categories of floristic elements and phytochorion
distribution pattern for the grasses, sedges and rushes of alpine
and temperate region of Northern Pakistan.
Results and Discussion
Floristic elements: The present study is based on members
of the order Poales(grasses, sedges, rushes)that are
distributed 2000m above the mean sea level in Northern
Pakistan (Fig. 1). The data set included 117 species, in 29
genera and three families, Poaceae, Cyperaceaeand
Juncaceae. Grasses contributed the major portion in the data
set (73.50%), while sedges (23.07%) and rushes (3.41%) are
less apparent. The distribution ranges of these species vary
between 2000m and 5000m elevation in the alpine and nival
region of Northern Pakistan. The checklist of species (Table
2) shows that Carexand Poaare the most speciose genera
having 21 species and 16 species respectively. Elymushas 10
species, Agrostis, Bromus and Festuca have 7 species, and
CalamagrostisandPiptatherum have 6 species each.
The present analysis recognized 12 different
phytogeographic or floristic elements (Fig. 2 and Table.
2). The highest percentage of elements 30% (35 species)
belong to the western Himalayan floristic province. The
cosmopolitan elements represent 19% (22) and the
Central Asian elements represent 17% (20). There are
12% (14) species of Eurasian origin and 9 species (8%)
are endemic to the present study area. The dominance of
W. Himalayan elements can be attributed to dispersal
mechanisms and geological activities, which have given
rise to local endemism. These species have their centre of
diversity in the N.W Himalayas but some of them extend
eastwardly to the eastern Himalayas, and westward to the
central Asia and Eastern Europe. According to Takhtajan
(1986) the flora of this province is transitional between
the ancient Mediterranean and eastern Asiatic floras.
Most of these elements are near endemic (partim
endemic) in this region e.gCalamagrostisscabrescens,
Carexcardiolepis, C. duthiei, C. remota, Hierochloelaxa,
Isachnehimalaica, Phleumhimalaicum,
Piptatherummunroi, Poahimalayana, P. stapfianaand
Stipahimalaica. These species are distributed in wet
forests under storey of temperate coniferous forests
among other herbs.Such areas receive the monsoon rains
during summer and heavy snowfall in winters; the plants
renew growth at the approach of spring in March-April.
Hayat (2011) also found the dominance of W. Himalayan
elements (50%) in Artemisia of Pakistan. Ali & Qaiser
(1986) also attributed 46% elements of flora of Pakistan
to the Himalayan region.
The second largest proportion of elements (19%)
belongs to the cosmopolitan category (Fig. 2). These
species are found throughout the world in similar habitats
and have vast ecological amplitude. According to
(MacArthur, 1972) some tropical taxa penetrate into
northern floras primarily due to the availability of suitable
habitats rather than similar latitudes. Most of the species in
this category occur at lower altitudes and are also found in

plains of the country, hence having tropical and subtropical
distribution. Central Asian elements account for (17%) and
Eurasian elements account for (12%) of the floristic
composition (Fig. 2). The W. Himalayan elements together
with Eurasian and central Asian components account for
60% of the floristic composition. All these elements are
placed in the Holarctic Kingdom of Northern Hemisphere.
Hence it is concluded that the phytogeographic elements of
grasses, sedges and rushes of northern Pakistan have
Holarctic origin. This view has also been proposed by
Takhtajan (1986) and Ali &Qaiser (1986). The migration
and exchange of species between mountains of Eurasia, the
Alps, the Carpathians, the Caucasus, the Central Asian
mountains, Altai and Himalayas during glacial periods are
responsible for similarity between W. Himalayan and
central Asiatic-Eurasian floras (Breckel, 1974).The plants
of the coastal area of the Tethys Sea (ancient
Mediterranean) and the plants of Laurasia (paleoasia)
migrated into the Himalayan ranges when the Indian plate
joined Laurasia and the Tethys Sea receded (Rongfu,
1988). The central Asian elements have their centre of
diversity in temperate Asia and extend eastward into
Europe and westward into the western Himalayas and
adjoining China. The main areas of distribution include the
Caucasus, Tien-shan, Siberia and western Asia. The
Eurasian elements are distributed across the temperate zone
of Europe and Asia and some of them may extend into the
northernmost part of Africa.
The proportion of endemic species in the strict sense is
relatively low, only 9 species (8%) in the present study area
(Table 2 and Fig. 2). However the near endemic species of
the western Himalayan category when incorporated would
result in an increase in the percentage of endemic taxa. But
we have considered only those species as endemics which
are restricted to the northern Pakistan and Kashmir. The
endemic species belong to only 4 genera Calamagrostis (2
species), Festuca (2 species), Elymus (4 species) and
Piptatherum (1 species). The four species of Elymusinclude
Elymusborianus, E. dentatus, E. swatianusand E.
kurramensis. E. borianus are restricted to upper Swat,
while E. kurramensis is endemic to a narrow belt from
Kurram to Chitral (Cope, 1982). E. swatianus is a new
species resulting from the present study, and is found at one
place near Matta in Swat district. The endemic species of
Elymus, Festuca and Piptatherum are found at lower
altitudes in moist temperate forests. This distribution
pattern support the view of (Akhani, 2007; Noroozi et al.,,
2008) who found that endemism is higher at relatively low
altitudes and decreases with increasing elevation.
The other six areal types are represented by lower
percentages e.g Holarctic (3%), Irano-Turanian (3%),
Mediterranean (3%), Paleotropical (2%), African (1%), and
Circumpolar (1%) (Fig. 2).
Two way cluster analysis (TWCA) of sites (OGU’s): The
study area is situated between 34° and 37° N latitudes and
71.4° and 77.6° E longitudes. The TWCA divided the 16
districts (Operational Geographic Units; OGU’s) into two
large clusters i-e cluster A and cluster B, each of which
further consists of 8 districts (Fig. 3). The 8 districts
classified in “cluster A” are Ghanche, Skardu, Astor,
Diamer, Gilgit, Hunza-Nagar, Ghizer and Chitral. These
districts are northern and north-eastern in position on the
map (Fig. 1). These areas are characterized by harsh
climate and severe winters and snowfall. The mean annual
rainfall in these areas is below 250 mm. The snowfall
mostly occurs above 4,000 m and increases with altitude.
These areas are classified as snow deserts (Breckle, 1974),
with scattered cushion vegetation. The monsoon rain do not
reaches to these districts and are blocked by the lofty
Himalayan Mountains. The climate of this region is
classified as arid to semi-arid and windy (Hashmi, 1998).
Cold increases with increase in altitude. For every 100 m
increase in elevation, temperature falls by one degree. The
snow accumulates into glaciers above the snow line. These
harsh climatic conditions and intense solar radiations result
in xeric conditions hence β–diversity of species gradually
decreasing both along the altitudinal and latitudinal
gradients (Khan et al., 2011).
Cluster B comprising of 8 districts i.e. Dir, Swat,
Kohistan, Mansehra, Abbotabad, Bagh, Muzaffarabad and
Neelum. The geographic location of these districts is
Southern (Fig. 1). This group of districts has relatively
lower heights, with alpines between 2900 and 4000m.
Monsoon rain reaches here, and annual rainfall reaches to
1700 mm, with above 80% relative humidity. Snow fall
occur during winters but the summers are mild. Himalayan
moist temperate forests are prevailing here. The vegetation
is thick and biologically more diverse. The alpines in these
districts have more species per unit area than that of the
upper northern districts. This is because with decrease in
elevation species richness increases (Breckel, 1974, Khan
et al., 2011, Shaheen et al., 2012).
Fig. 3. Cluster dendrogram of 16 districts, using Sorenson similarity values.

Table 2. Distribution and centers of diversity of the grasses, sedges and rushes.
No. Taxa Distribution
1 Agrostis gigantea Roth
Europe, South Africa, Asia-temperate, Western Asia, Eastern Asia, Asia-
tropical, Australasia, North America, South America, Subantarctic
islands/COSMO.
2 Agrostis hissarica Rozhev.
Asia-temperate, Central Asia, Afghanistan, China, Western Himalaya
Pakistan, India/CENTASIA.
3 Agrostis munroana Aitch. & Hemsel. Temperate W. Asia, China, Western Himalaya/WHIMAL.
4 Agrostis pilosula Trin. Asia-temperate, China, Western Himalaya/WHIMAL.
5 Agrostiss tolonifera L.
Europe, Africa, Asia-temperate, Western Asia, Eastern Asia, Asia-tropical,
Australasia, Pacific, North America, South America, Subantarctic
islands/COSMO.
6 Agrostis vinealis Schreb.
Europe, Asia-temperate, Western Asia, China, Western Himalaya India,
Pakistan/EURASIA.
7 Agrostis viridis Gouan
Australasia, Pacific, North America, South America/COSMO.
8 Alopecurus aequalis Sobol.
Europe, Asia, Australasia, North America, South America, absent from
Africa/COSMO.
9 Alopecurus arundinaceus Poir.
Europe, Asia-temperate, China, and Mongolia; Western Himalaya India,
Pakistan/EURASIA.
10 Alopecurus himalaicus Hook.f.
Europe: southeastern, Western Asia, and China, Western Himalaya India,
Pakistan/WHIMAL.
11
Blysmus compressus (Decne.)
Kukkonen
Europe, N. Africa, temperate Asia, Central Asia, western Asia, China,
Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan/EURASIA.
12 Bromus catharticus Vahl
islands/COSMO.
13 Bromus hordeaceus L.
islands/COSMO.
14 Bromus inermis Leyss.
15 Bromus japonicas Thunb.
16 Bromus pectinatus Thunb.
Africa, Asia-temperate, Soviet Middle Asia, western Asia, Arabia and
China, India, Pakistan/AFRICAN
17 Bromus oxyodon Schrenk
Asia-temperate, Central Asia, Afghanistan, China, Mongolia, Western
Himalaya Pakistan, India/CENTASIA.
18 Bromus ramosus Huds
Europe, North America, temperate Central and Western Asia, China,
Western Himalaya Pakistan, India/EURASIA.
19 Calamagrostis decora Hook. f. Western Himalaya Pakistan/ENDEM.
20 Calamagrostis emodensis Griseb.
Temperate western Asia and China, Western Himalayas Pakistan and
India/WHIMAL.
21 Calamagrostis epigejos (L.) Roth
Europe, Africa, Asia-temperate, Asia-tropical, Australasia, North
America/COSMO.
22
Calamagrostis pseudophragmites
(Hall.f.) Koel.
Europe, Asia temperate, Central and Western Asia, China, Western
Himalaya Pakistan, India/EURASIA.
23 Calamagrostis scabrescens Griseb. Western Himalayas Pakistan, Kashmir, China/WHIMAL.
24 Calamagrostis stoliczkaiHook. f. Western Himalaya Pakistan, Kashmir/ENDEM.
25 Carex atrofusca Schkuhr
Arctic circum-polar, Europe, Central Asia, NE Afghanistan, N Pakistan
and Himalayas/EURASIA
26 Carex canescens L.
Boreal circum-polar, C. Asia extending eastwards to Pakistan and
Kashmir; also New Guinea, Australia and S. America/CIRCUMP.
27 Carex cruciate Wahlenb
From Madagascar, Kashmir and India to Taiwan and
Indonesia/PALTROP.
28 Carex cardiolepis Nees From Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir to N. India /WHIMAL.
29 Carex divisa Hudson
WS Europe, N. Africa, western Asia, Central Asia, Pakistan to Kashmir
and E Myanmar; introduced in N. America, South Africa and New
Zealand/MEDIT.

Table 2. (Cont’d).
30 Carex divulsa Stokes
China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Sri
Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam/PALTROP.
31 Carex duthiei C. B. Clarke From N Pakistan to Sikkim and Central China/WHIMAL.
32 Carex fedia Nees
From India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Pamiro-Alai to Central China and
Thailand/WHIMAL.
33 Carex filicina Nees
China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Sri
Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam/PALTROP.
34 Carex foliosa D. Don Pakistan, eastwards to Assam; in S. India/WHIMAL.
35 Carex inanis C. B. Clarke Pakistan, Kashmir, NE India, Nepal, Bhutan, China/ WHIMAL.
36 Carex infuscata Nees
Asia temperate, Central Asia, Siberia, China, Mongolia, Afghanistan, NW
Pakistan/CENTASIA.
37 Carex melanantha C. A. Mey.
Asia temperate, Central Asia, Siberia, China, Mongolia, Afghanistan, NW
Pakistan, India/CENTASIA
38 Carex nivalis Boott
From Central Asia through Afghanistan, to NW Pakistan, Kashmir, India,
Nepal/WHIMAL.
39 Carex otrubae Podpera Europe, Temperate middle Asia, Siberia, to N Pakistan/EURASIA.
40 Carex pseudocyperus L.
Europe, N. America, Mediterranean, N. Africa, Caucasus, Siberia, C. Asia,
China, eastern Asia, W Asia, to Kashmir/HOLARCT.
41 Carex psy chrophila Nees E Afghanistan to Kashmir, Himalayas, China/WHIMAL.
42
Carex remota subsp. Stewartii
Kukkonen
E Afghanistan to Garhwal, Uttar Pradesh/WHIMAL.
43 Carex sanguinea Boott Afghanistan and Pakistan, eastwards into Kashmir/ WHIMAL.
44 Carex schlagintweitiana Boeck. From Pakistan to Himachal Pradesh, India/WHIMAL.
45 Carex songorica Kar. &Kir.
Russia, C. Asia, western Asia, Afghanistan, N. Pakistan India, China, NW
Mongolia/CENTASIA.
46 Dactylis glomerata L.
Temperate Europe and Asia, Mediterranean, introduced into many
temperate parts of the world/EURASIA.
47 Deschampsia koelerioides Regel
Asia-temperate, central Asia, western Asia, China, and Mongolia, Western
Himalaya Pakistan, Kashmir/ CENTASIA.
48
Eleocharis quinquflora (F.X. Hartm.)
O.Schwarz
Europe, NW Africa, temperate Asia, Western and Central Asia, east to
Nepal, China/ HOLARCT.
49
Eleocharis palustris (L.) Roem. &
Schult.
E Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan/IRTURAN.
50 Elymus borianus (Meld.) T. A. Cope Western Himalaya Pakistan/ENDEM.
51 Elymus caninus L.
Europe, Asia temperate, Western Asia, Eastern Asia, Western Himalayas,
Subarctic North America/EURASIA.
52 Elymus dahuricus Turcz. ex Griseb.
Europe eastern, Asia-temperate: Siberia, western Asia, China, Mongolia,
and eastern Asia to Western Himalayas in Pakistan and
India/CENTASIA.
53
Elymus dentatus (Hook.f.) T. A.
Cope
Western Himalaya Pakistan, Kashmir/ENDEM.
54
Elymus kuramensis (Meld.) T.A.
Cope
Kurram valley Pakistan/ENDEM.
55
Elymus longe-aristatus (Nevski)
Tzvelev
Temperate Asia: Central Asia, Iran, Afghanistan, China, India,
Pakistan/CENTASIA.
56 Elymus nutans Griseb.
Central Asia, Western Asia, China, Mongolia, Northwest Pakistan and
India/WHIMAL.
57 Elymus repens (L.) Gould
islands/COSMO.
58
Elymus semicostatus (Nees ex Steud.)
Meld.
Afghanistan through Western Himalayas to Sikkim India/WHIMAL.
59
Elymus swatianus Z. Ullah ex M.
Ahmad
Swat Pakistan/ENDEM.
60 Eremopoa altaica (Trin.) Rozhev.
E. Europe, N. Africa, Asia-temperate, Siberia, Caucasus, Western Asia,
Central Asia and China to Western Himalayas Pakistan and
India/CENTASIA.

61 Festuca alaica Drobov
Asia-temperate: Soviet Middle Asia, Central Asia to Afghanistan and
Western Himalaya/CENTASIA.
62 Festuca asthenica Hook. f. Kashmir Western Himalaya/ENDEM.
63 Festuca gigantean (L.) Vill.
Europe, Asia-temperate: Siberia, Soviet Middle Asia, Caucasus, western
Asia, and China to Western Himalayas/EURASIA.
64
Festuca hartmannii (Markgr.-
Dannenb.) Alexeev
Pakistan and Kashmir/ENDEM.
65 Festuca kashmiriana Stapf China and Northwestern Himalayas India, Pakistan/ WHIMAL.
66 Festuca olgae (Regel) Krivot. Asia-temperate, western Asia and China, India, Pakistan/ CENTASIA.
67 Festuca rubra L.
islands/COSMO.
68 Fuirena pubescens (Poir.) Kunth
N. Africa, Mediterranean from Portugal to Turkey, Afghanistan, NW
Himalayas India, Pakistan/MEDIT.
69 Helictotrichon pratense (L.) Pilger Europe, temperate Asia/EURASIA.
70 Helictotrichon virescens
North Western Himalayas east wards to Sri Lanka, Burma and
Malaysia/WHIMAL.
71 Hierochloë laxa R. Br. ex Hook f. Northwestern Himalaya in Pakistan, Kashmir and India/WHIMAL.
72 Isachne himalaica Hook. f. Afghanistan, Bhutan, Northern India, Nepal, Pakistan/WHIMAL.
73 Juncus articulatus L.
Europe, N. Africa, Central and S.W. Asia, to Pakistan and the Himalayas,
N. America, introduced in Australia and New Zealand/EURASIA.
74 Juncus bufonius L.
Europe, North and South America, Central Asia, Western Asia, eastern
Asia, China, Mongolia, tropical Asia, SW Asia/PANTROP.
75
Juncus membranaceus Royle ex D.
Don
Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, China/WHIMAL.
76 Juncusm aritimus Lam.
Europe, Mediterranean, N. Africa, temperate and tropical Asia, N.
America, introduced elsewhere/MEDIT.
77 Kobresia laxa Nees Afghanistan, Tajikistan eastwards to Nepal and Sikkim/WHIMAL.
78
Kobresia schoenoides(C. A. Mey.)
Steud.
Central Asia, Caucasus, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal to Tibet
China/CENTASIA.
79 Leymus secalinus (Georgi) Tzvelev
Asia-temperate, central Asia, Soviet middle Asia, eastern Asia, Northwest
India, Pakistan/CENTASIA.
80 Lolium perenne L.
islands/COSMO.
81 Melica persica Kunth
Asia-temperate, western Asia, Arabia, and China, India,
Pakistan/IRTURAN.
82 Milium effusum L.
Europe, Asia-temperate, Siberia, western Asia, eastern Asia, India,
Pakistan, North America/HOLARCT.
83 Pennisetum flaccidum Griseb.
Asia-temperate, western Asia, China, and Mongolia, Western Himalaya
Kashmir, Pakistan/WHIMAL.
84 Pennisetum lanatum Klotzsch
From Afghanistan eastward through Himalayas Pakistan, India, Nepal to
Tibet China/WHIMAL.
85 Phleum alpinum L.
Europe, Asia-temperate, Western Asia, Eastern Asia, Asia-tropical,
islands/COSMO.
86 Phleum himalaicum Mez Afghanistan to Western Himalayas/WHIMAL.
87 Phleum paniculatum Huds.
Europe, Asia-temperate, Soviet Middle Asia, western Asia, China, and
eastern Asia, NW Pakistan and India/EURASIA.
88 Phleum pretense L.
Europe, Asia-temperate, Western Asia, Eastern Asia, Asia-tropical,
islands/COSMO.
89
Piptatherum aequiglume (Duthie ex
Hook.f.) Rozhev.
Central Asia and China to NW India and Pakistan/CENTASIA.
90 Piptatherum baluchistanicum Freitag East Afghanistan, Baluchistan Pakistan/ENDEM.

S.No Taxa Distribution
91 Piptatherum gracile Mez Tajikistan through Himalayas Pakistan, India, Nepal, China/WHIMAL.
92 Piptatherum hilariae Pazij
Asia-temperate, Central Asia, western Asia, and China, India,
Pakistan/CENTASIA.
93
Piptatherum laterale (Munro ex
Regel) Rozhev
Pakistan westward through Afghanistan to the pamirs/IRTURAN.
94 Piptatherum munroi (Stapf) Mez Western Asia and China to Pakistan/WHIMAL.
95 Poa aitchisonii Boiss. Western Asia: Iran, Afghanistan, NW Himalayas Pakistan/IRTURAN.
96 Poa alpine L.
Europe, North America, Mediterranean, N. Africa, Western Asia, Central
Asia, Eastern Asia, Himalayas from Pakistan through India to
Nepal/HOLARCT.
97 Poa annua L.
islands/COSMO.
98 Poa attenuate Trin. Asia-temperate, China and Mongolia, NW Pakistan and India/CENTASIA.
99 Poa bulbosa L.
Europe, Africa, Asia-temperate, western Asia, Arabia, and China, Asia-
tropical, Australasia, North America, southern South America/COSMO.
100 Poa calliopsis Litw. ex Ovcz. Central Asia, China, Kashmir Himalayas/CENTASIA.
101
Poa glauca subsp. Litwinowiana
(Ovcz.) Tzvelev
High Mountains in Central Asia, China, Tibet, Western
Himalayas/CENTASIA.
102 Poa infirma Kunth
Europe, Africa north, Asia-temperate, Asia-tropical, Australasia, North
America, Mexico, western South America/COSMO.
103 Poa nemoralis L.
Europe, N. Africa, Asia-temperate, western Asia, eastern Asia. Asia-
tropical, Australasia, North America, South America/COSMO.
104 Poa nepalensis Wall. ex Duthie China, eastern Asia, Himalayas India, Pakistan/WHIMAL.
105 Poa pagophila Bor China and Himalayas/WHIMAL.
106 Poa polycolea Stapf Afghanistan, China, Western Himalayas/WHIMAL.
107 Poa pratensis L.
islands/COSMO.
108 Poa stapfiana Bor China and Western Himalayas/WHIMAL.
109 Poa sterilis M. Bieb.
Europe: eastern, Asia-temperate: Caucasus and western Asia, NW India
and Pakistan/CENTASIA.
110 Poa himalayana Nees ex Steudel China and western Himalayas/WHIMAL.
111 Poa supine Schrad.
Europe, Asia-temperate, China and Mongolia, NW Pakistan and
India/EURASIA.
112 Poa trivialis L.
islands/COSMO.
113
Poa versicolor subsp. Araratica
(Trautv.) Tzvelev
Europe, Asia-temperate, Caucasus, China, Mongolia, and eastern Asia,
Himalayas/CENTASIA.
114 Stipa himalaica Rozhev. China and Western Himalayas/WHIMAL.
115
Trisetum clarkei (Hook.f.) R. R.
Stewart
China and Western Himalayas/WHIMAL.
116 Trisetum spicatum (L.) Richt.
islands/COSMO.
117 Vulpia myuros (L.) C. C. Gmel.
islands/COSMO.
Codes: N- North, W- West, E- East, SE- Southeast; CIRCUMPOL- circumpolar element; COSMO- cosmopolitan element; ENDEM-
endemic element; CENTASIA- central Asian element; HOLARCT- Holarctic;EURAS- Eurasiatic element; IRTURAN- Irano-
Turanian element; MEDIT- Mediterranean element; WHIMAL- Western Himalayan element; PANTROP- pantropical;
PALEOTROP- paleotropical.

Fig. 4.Dendrogram of 114 species and 16 sites (OGU’s), produced by TWCA through PC-ORD.

Fig. 5. Cluster dendrogram of species based on altitudinal distribution
Twoway cluster analysis based on presence/absence
data of species: In the TWCA analysis based on the
presence/absence data, 114 species in the data matrix are
grouped into two large clusters i.e. Cluster 1 and Cluster 2
(Fig. 4). The dendrogram in (Fig. 4) shows very
interesting results. The species are clearly grouped into
two clusters corresponding to the upper northern and
lower southern districts. Cluster 1 consists of 65 species
that are found only in the upper eight northern and
northeastern districts as well as the species with wider
distribution in almost all districts. Cluster 2 consists of 46
species with distribution in the lower eight southern
temperate districts. Cluster 1 further consists of 4 groups
and cluster 2 contains 3 groups.
In group 1 there are 22 species out of which 8 species
have distribution in all the 16 districts (Fig. 4), the
remaining species have distribution in 8 or more districts.
Most of these species are cosmopolitan in distribution and
found at wider altitudinal ranges. Some of the weedy
species also fall in this group e.g.,Poaannua,
Bromuspectinatus, PoapratensisandVulpiamyuros etc.
These species favors open sunny, waste places and
cultivated fields. The distribution range varies between
1000 to 3500 m. In the group 2 there are 13 species.
Which are distributed in moist alpines or coniferous
forests under storey, between 3000 and 3500m. These are
distributed in Ghanche, Skardu, Astor, Swat and
Mansehra. The 17 species in group 3 are primarily
distributed in Skardu and Astor districts. These districts
represent the northern most extension for these species, as
the centre of diversity of these species lies in the northern
India and Kashmir. These species are rare and found in
high, dry arid alpines on dry slopes or on dry dunes in
Deosai plateau. In group 4 there are 13 species with
distribution in the upper 7 districts except Diamer. These
species are found in dry snowy deserts and some are
found among other grasses in alpine meadows.
Kobresiashoenoides form large patches on dry dunes as
well as on wet meadows in Deosai plains above 4000m,
and contribute to the formation of peat soil. These
Kobresiameadows are also found at similar altitudes in
Alborzmountain Iran (Noroozi et al., 2011) and Tibet
China (Qiong et al., 2011).
In group 5there are 23 species occupying almost all
the lower districts. Most of these species prefer temperate
forests and shady wet places, with frequent monsoon rains
in the summer. The 11 species in group 6 occur only in
the biodiversity rich temperate and alpine region of Swat
and Mansehra districts. These species are part of the
ground flora under the shade of conifer forests and hence
prefer wet and shady places. This group is represented by
12 species, which are rare and having distribution in one
or two districts. Some endemic species are also
represented in this group.
Cluster analysis of species on the basis of altitude: The
TWCA analysis of species based on altitude are
summarized in the dendrogram (Fig. 5). The analysis
divided the species into 4 large groups based on altitude,
which further form small clusters, making a total of 16
distributional types within the altitudinal ranges of below
2000m to 5000m a.s.l. Species richness and composition
varies with altitudinal gradient (Korner 2007; Nagy &
Grabherr 2009; Shaheen et al., 2012; Khan et al., 2011).
Because with increase in altitude temperature decreases and
precipitation in the form of snow fall increases (Grytnes,
2000; Qiong et al., 2011) and hence species richness
decreases and composition changes. It is apparent form the
results (Fig. 5) that most of the species are distributed
between 3000-4000m a.s.l. Our findings are in agreement
with (Noroozi et al., 2008) who found that species richness
is maximum between 3000 and 3600 m in Iranian Alpines.
In group A there are 27 species, with distribution
ranges from below 2000m to 3000m. This group further
contains 3 sub-groups. The first sub-group is distributed
from below 2000m to 3000m, the second sub-group
between 2000-3000m and the third sub-group from below
2000m to 2500m. These altitudinal belts are held by
Agrostisgigantea, A. viridis, Carexfedia, C. filicina, C.
divulsa, C. foliosa, Elymusborianus, Phleumhimalaicum,
Vulpiamyorusetc. Ingroup B are included 31 species,
which are distributed above 2000m and below 4000m.
There are four small clusters present in this group. These
species are primarily distributed in the temperate forests
and extending into the alpine meadows. Common
representatives of this group are Agrostishissarica,
Kobresialaxa, Milliumeffusum, Bromus japonicas etc.
Group C has a total of 22 species distributed between
2500m and 4500m above sea level. Further it is divided
into 2 sub-clusters C1 and C2. In group D there are 33
species distributed between 3000 and 5000m. Most of
these are strict alpine species with distribution in alpine
meadows or nival zone. Genera like Poa, Carex,
FestucaandCalamagrostis are dominant here.
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to Dr. IshtiaqHussain (Karakurum
International University) and Zaheer Abbas (Hazara University)
for their help in field expeditions. This research was supported
by Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, which is highly
appreciated and acknowledged.
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(Received for publication 26 August 2014)

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