FLORAL DIVERSITY OF BALKASSAR, DISTRICT CHAKWAL PAKISTAN

Abstract

Present study was conducted in Balkassar, one of the rapidly growing village of Chakwal, Pakistan for collecting basic information about flora pattern and community structure which was unknown and not well documented before. Different plant species were collected using Quadrat method. The collected specimens were dried, pressed and mounted on herbarium sheets. The taxonomic classification was done for differentiation of plant groups. A total of 45 plant species including 26 herbs belonging to 15 families, 10 shrubs belonging to 9 families and 9 trees belonging to 6 families were studied and identified from 15 selected sites. Amaranthaceae, Asteraceae, Poaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Malvaceae, Apocynaceae, Fabaceae and Moraceae were the most common families of herbs, shrubs and trees which were recognized from the selected area. Present study findings suggest that this area is rich in herb flora. There is a need of accomplishment and improvement of preservation of biodiversity of the area. Human control, land desertion and land use for the preservation and maintenance of vegetation is recommended. Key Words: Balkassar, Chakwal, Floral Diversity, medicinal plants, conservation, taxonomy, herbarium, ecology, climate