Floristic exploration of East Sikkim district of Sikkim

BACKGROUND: The state of Sikkim possesses 26% of Indian flowering plants. This is an important phytogeographical region of India. There are no floristic exploration studies being carried out in East Sikkim district. Due to this, the present study was intended to explore the floristic diversity in the East Sikkim district of Sikkim state. METHODS: For the exploration, the Medico Ethno-Botanical Survey (MEBS) team surveyed 09 different forest ranges of East Sikkim and documented the floristic diversity as per the guidelines of CCRAS, Ministry of Ayush, New Delhi. RESULTS: The study explored 165 plant species belonging to 140 genera of 71 families. Among the collected plants, the family Asteraceae represents the highest number (15) of plants, whereas the genus Rhododendron exhibits more number (06) of species. The herbs encompass a copious number (87) of plants compared to other habits of the plant. The enlisted plants were cross-verified with Ayurvedic texts, which revealed that 26 plant species were indexed with their Ayurvedic formulations. The IUCN status and trade value of the explored plants were also mentioned. CONCLUSIONS: The floristic exploratory studies represent the species richness of a particular geographical area. It facilitates further research for scholars to utilize the plant taxa sustainably to taxonomy, ecology, biodiversity, and medicinal plants-related works to manufacture herbal-based formulations.