Plants of Kathmandu Valley: A book for nature lovers

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Jan. 23: The title 'Plants of Kathmandu Valley- A Pictorial Guide'  in itself conveys much more about the book. If you are interested in learning about the plants found in the Kathmandu Valley, this book will be a proper choice. It presents essential information with pictures of the diverse flora of the valley. 

Written jointly by botanists Man B. Rokaya, Shalik R. Sigdel, Saroj K. Kasaju and La Dorche Sherpa, the book presents information on 885 flowering plant species representing  491 genera and 120 families found in and around the Kathmandu Valley.

"The goal of this book is to present an illustrated overview of the Valley's flora using high-quality images," the writers have written in the preface of the book.

The Kathmandu Valley is widely known for the majestic beauty of its landscape, from the flat basin to the high hills that encircle the valley. The plants of the valley have long been recognised for their rich floral diversity, which has been formed by plant species representing subtropical to those found in cool upper temperate climatic zones. The exquisite flora of the valley has caught the attention of many, including legendary botanists. 

According to the writers,  the first botanical exploration in the Kathmandu Valley began in 1802 when the Scottish naturalist, traveller and physician, Sir Francis Buchanan-Hamilton, visited Kathmandu during 1802-1803 from the southern part of the country through Bhimphedi and Chitlang. The writers further write in the preface, "Later, a Danish physician, Nathaniel Wallich, visited the Valley during 1820-1821, following the same route, documented the plant species fpund in and around the northern parts of the valley up to Gosaikunda Lake." 

Likewise, Isac Henry Burkill in 1906 also followed the same route. Wallich and Burkill's collections are mentioned in 'Notes From A Journey To Nepal' published in 1910. According to the book, many other explorations came after those ones.

'Plants of Kathmandu Valley' has three chapters. The first presents the background information for understanding the valley's location, geography, history, climate, people and culture. The second chapter provides an overview of vegetation and diversity. The third one consists of pictures of every species of plant along with details on their families, scientific names, common synonyms and basonyms, vernacular names, physical characteristics, flowering and fruiting periods, habitats, their distribution in Nepal and worldwide and economic uses.

Writer Rokaya, who is originally from the Himalayan district Humla, is associated with the Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, and Global Change Research Institute, Czech Academy of Sciences in the Czech Republic. Similarly, Sigdel works for the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China, while Kasaju, and Sherpa are Kathmandu-based botanists.

Published by the Kathmandu Centre for Research Education (KCRE) and Chinese Academy of Sciences-Tribhuvan University, the book is priced at Rs. 3100.