Classification of Natural Vegetation of India is primarily based on spatial and annual variations in rainfall. Temperature, soil and topography are also considered.
India’s vegetation can be divided into 5 main types and 16 sub-types as given below.
These forests can be divided into (1) sub-alpine; (2) moist alpine scrub and (3) dry alpine scrub.
The sub-alpine forests occur in lower alpine scrub and grasslands.
It is a mixture of coniferous and broad-leaved trees in which the coniferous trees attain a height of about 30 m while the broad-leaved trees reach only 10 m.
Fir, spruce, rhododendron, etc. are important species.
The Moist alpine scrub is a low evergreen dense growth of rhododendron, birch, etc. which occurs from 3,000 meters and extends up to the snowline.
The dry alpine scrub is the uppermost limit of scrub xerophytic, dwarf shrubs, over 3,500 meters above sea level and found in the dry zone. Juniper, honeysuckle, Artemisia, etc. are important species.
