Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows

This ecoregion represents the alpine meadows and shrublands between 3,000 and 5,000 m in the western Himalaya, mainly in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. A fourth of this ecoregion is bare rock and ice on high peaks. The alpine shrubby flora is dominated by colourful, dwarf rhododendrons, while the meadows have a rich herbaceous community of Anaphalis, Aster, Cynanthus, Jurinea, Morina, Potentilla, Gentiana, Delphinium, Gentiana, Meconopsis, Pedicularis, Anemone, Polygonum, Primula, and Saussurea. Willows line the montane streams. The ecoregion contains several hotspots of floral diversity and endemism, notably the Valley of Flowers, Nanda Devi, Tinker Valley, Dhorpatan, and Annapurna. Eleven reserves, including Shey-Phuksundo, Annapurna, Kedarnath, Nanda Devi, and Dhorpatan, cover about 25% of the ecoregion area.

Source: Modified from One Earth CC BY-NC