A review of plant diversity surveys and monographic studies of the Pan-Himalaya region

Abstract

The Pan-Himalaya, known as the “Roof of the World”, forms a natural geographic unit covering the entire range of the Himalaya and the Hengduan Mountains in addition to Karakorum and the northeastern extreme of Hindu Kush. The region possesses three biodiversity hotspots and harbors a rich and distinctive flora. Here, we review the history of plant diversity surveys and monographic studies in the region. The contributions of outstanding collectors of Pan-Himalaya are also reviewed, as well as the ongoing international project on the Flora of Pan-Himalaya (FPH). As the main concern of the present review, we showed that the development of botanic survey is uneven among different areas in the Pan-Himalaya region, and that a special concern should be given to northern Myanmar and Yarlung Zangbo–Brahmaputra.

Keywords

flora / monograph / Pan-Himalaya / plant collecting / specimen

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2025 Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences.