Assessment of Angiosperm Dicots of Astore Valley Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan: Assessment of Angiosperm Dicots of Astore Valley, Gilgit-Biltistan

The research objective was to assess the floristic diversity of dicotyledons in Astore valley, Gilgit-Baltistan. Field visits were conducted during 2007-2018. Five hundred and fifty-eight species of Angiosperms Dicot were recorded, and they belonged to 65 families and 266 genera, Among the species were that were two first time recorded in Pakistan viz Camelina microcarpa Andrz.-ex DC. and Taraxacum stewartii Soest and five tentatively new species were encountered. Among the 65 families, ten had over 20 specie i.e. Asteraceae which had 47 genera and 95 species, Brassicaceae with 22 genera and 40 species, Papilionaceae with 14 genera and 30 species, Rosaceae with 13 genera and33 species, and Boraginaceae with 31 species in 13 genera, Scrophulariaceae with 30 species, in 8 genera, Apiaceae with 27 species in 16 genera, Lamiaceae with 26 species in 13 genera, Caryophyllaceae with 25 species in 11 genera and Polygonaceae with 21 species in 9 genera. There were 41 larger genera with more than 4-four species, Astragalus had 11 species followed by Nepeta with 10 species, Artemisia and Potentilla with nine each. The 558 species belongto 6 life forms. For each species, the habitat and habit of each species and their distribution status were also recorded. Habit wise 369 species were perennial herbs, 127 annual herbs, 34 shrubs, 24 trees, and 2 under shrubs. The research work will provide the baseline data for researchers regarding the angiosperm dicots of the Himalayan mountainous region of Pakistan.