The forests of Pokhara valley can be grouped under five types as follows

1. Evergreen Coniferous Forest:
t occupies roughly 7% of total forested area of the valley. It is mainly found on the higher slopes of the hills, above 1,850 m. in the north-western and north-eastern part of the valley. The main tree species of this forest are:

S.No. English Name Scientific Name Family
1. Chirpine Pinus roxburghii Pinaceae
2. Spruce Picea smithiana Pinaceae
3. Silver Oak Gravillea robusta Protaceae

2. Mixed Forest:
Mixed forest occupies nearly 34% of the forested area of the valley. It is found on the lower slopes of the hills between 1,220 m. to 1,850m. It is found on the northern parts and mainly concentrated in the north-western and north-eastern parts of the valley. The main trees species of this forest are:

S.No.


Local Name


Scientific Name


Family

1.


Chilaune


Schima wallichii


Theaceae

2.


Katus


Castanopsis indica


Fagaceae

3.


Uttis


Alnus nepalensis


Betulaceae

3. Monsoon Forest:
It occupies 33% of the total forested land. These forests are found in the south and eastern part of the valley at the elevation of 762 to 1,219m. Several tree species of religious importance have been planted in these areas: The main species are:
S. No. Local Name

Scientific Name
Family Habit
1. Sal

Shorea robusta


Dipterocarpaceae
Tree
2. Simal Bombax ceiba Bombacaceae Tree
3. Chilaune Schima wallichii Theaceae Tree
4. Bar Ficus bengalensis Moraceae Tree
5. Pipal Ficus religiosa Moraceae Tree
6. Titepati Artemesia vulgaris Compositeae Herb
7. Tapre Cassia tora Leguminoseae Herb

4. Grasslands:
This type of vegetation occupies 12% of the total forest areas. It is concentrated in the central part of the valley along river sides and deposited areas. The major grassland species are:

S. No.


Local Name


Scientific Name


Family


Habit

1.


Dudhejhar


Euphorbia hirta


Euphorbiaceae


Herb

2.


Banmara


Lantana camera


Verbenaceae


Shrub

3.


Unyu


Dryopteris species


Polypodiaceae


Herb

4.


Bhui Kaphal


Fragaria insica


Rosaceae


Herb

5.


Kuro


Bidens pilosa


Compositeae


Herb

6.


Dubo


Cynodon dactylon


Graminae


Herb

5. Reverie Forest:
It covers 14% of the total forested land of the valley. The forest is found near the rivers and lakes. Swampy forest species are also included in this forest. Dominant species of this forest are:

S. No.


Local Name


Scientific Name


Family


Habit

1.


Khair


Acacia catechu


Leguminoseae


Tree

2.


Bayar


Zizyphus jujuba


Rhamasceae


Shurb

3.


Simal


Bombax ceiba


Bombaceae


Tree

4.


Kalo Siris


Albizzia lebbeck


Leguminoseae


Tree

5.


Amp


Mangifera indica


Anacardiaceae


Tree

Several species of medicinal plants are also recorded in the Pokhara valley. Some of them are:

S. No.


Local Name


Scientific Name


Family


Habit

1.


Asuro


Adhatoda vasica


Canthaceae


Shrub

2.


Amala


Emblica officinalis


Euphorbiaceae


Tree

3.


Bel


Aegle marmelos


Rutaceae


Tree

4.


Neem


Azidarachta indica


Meliaceae


Tree

5.


Chutro


Berberis aristata


Barberidaceae


Shrub

6.


Palans


Butea monosperma


Fagaceae


Tree

7.


Dhaturo


Datura stramonium


Solanaceae


Shrub

Besides these plants, the valley is equally rice in aquatic plants as it is the home of many lakes. Some of these plants are considered very important as they have become endangered. Following is the list of major aquatic plants:

Common Name


Scientific Name

Mosquito fem


Azolla carliniana

Water hyacinth


Eichornia crassips

Duckweed


Lemma spp.

Corntail


Ceratophyllum spp.

Water lettuce


Pistia stratiotes

Tape grass


Vallisneria spp.

Water weed


Egeria spp.

Pond weed


Potamogaton cenferoides

Water lily


Nymphoides aquatica

Hydrilla


Hydrilla verticillata

Water lotus


Nelumbo spp.