Vegetation types

Nepal is floristically influenced from six adjoining floristic regions, namely Central Asiatic in the north, Sino-Japanese in the northeast, Southeast Asia-Malaysian in the southeast, Indian in the south, Sudano-Zambian in the southwest, and Irano-Turranean in the west.
For the purpose of describing vegetation, types, Nepal has been divided into six bio-climatic zones or belts with 11 subzones:

  • Tropical belt (up to 1,000 m altitude): Lower up to 500 m, and Upper 500-1,000 m.
  • Subtropical belt (1,000-2,000 m): Lower, 1,000-1,500 m and Upper, 1,500-2,000 m.
  • Temperate belt (2,000-3,000m): Collinean, 2,000-2,500m and Montane, 2,500-3,000m.
  • Sub-Alpine belt (3,000-4,000 m): Lower, 3,000-3,500 m and Upper, 3,500-4,000 m.
  • Alpine belt (4,000-5,000 m): Lower, 4,000-4,500 m and Upper, 4,500-5,000 m.
  • Nival belt (above 5,000 m).


Tropical belt (below 1,000 m altitude):
The vegetation is dominated mostly by Shorea robusta in association with Terminalia alata, Lagerstroemia parviflora, Adina cordifolia, Cassia fistula, Eugenia spp., and big lianas like Bauhinia vahlii, Milletia spp., etc. About 1500 species of flowering plants, of which 29 are endemic, occur in this zone. Phytogeographically this belt is related to the Indian and Southeast Asia-Malaysian region.

Subtropical belt (1,000-2,000 m altitude):
Schima wallichii-Castanopsis indica-Castanopsis tribuloides forest in the east and Pinus roxburghii forest in the west represent this belt. The major associates in the former are Engelhardtia spicata, Acer oblongum, Pyrus pashia, Eurya acuminata, Myrica esculenta etc. In the latter the associates are Myrica esculenta, Lyonia ovalifolia, Quercus lanata, Q. incana, Rhododendron arboreum etc. The flora is represented by 2,028 species of flowering plants including 50 endemic. Phytogeographically the lower part of this belt is related to the Indian and South-East Asia-Malaysian region, while the upper one is closely related to the Sino-Japanese region.

Temperate belt (2000-3000 m altitude):
This belt is characterised by evergreen oaks, rhododendrons, conifers etc with deciduous maples and magnolias. The characteristic species in the broad-leaved forests of this belt are: Quercus semecarpifolia, Q. lamellosa, Q. glauca, Daphniphyllum himalayense, Magnolia campbellii (in east and central Nepal), Quercus dilatata, Aesculus indica, Juglans regia (in west Nepal). Pinus wallichiana, Picea smithiana, Cedrus deodara, Abies pindrow and Tsuga dumosa are the common conifers in the needle-leaved forest. The associated tree species are Rhododendron arboreum, Lyonia ovalifolia, Carpinus viminea, Taxus baccata, Betula alnoides etc. Alnus nepalensis forest is common in the mid-mountainous Himalayan ecosystem extending from 1,300 to 2,700 m. The species can quickly colonise in barren slopes newly exposed by landslides or erosion. 1,990 species are recorded from this belt including 113 endemic.

Sub-Alpine belt (3,000-4,000 m altitude):
Characteristic species: Abies spectabilis and Betula utilis. Associated species are Acer caudatum, A. pectinatum, Sorbus cuspidata, S. microphylla, S. foliolosa etc. This belt, together with the Alpine and Nival belts, is related to the Central Asiatic region. This belt houses 1,645 species including 177 endemic species of flowering plants.

Alpine and Nival belts (3,000-4,000 m altitude):
The shrubby vegetation is usually dominated by rhododendron bushes. Other common shrubs include Potentilla fructicosa, Hippophe rhamnoides, Berberis spp. etc. The common low herbs are primroses, gentians, poppies, buttercups etc. Loose scree vegetation is usually composed of cushions of Arenaria, Androsace, Waldhamia etc.


The area above 5,000 m is usually covered by permanent snow. However, hardy and extreme cold resistant plants are found in the sunny rock crevices. Stellaria decumbens and Parry lanuginosa have been recorded at an elevation of around 6,100 m. 1,075 species of flowering plants with 190 species endemic are reported from this belt.

Glance of Nepal