DISTRIBUTIONAL PATTERN OF PHAEOCEROS PROSK IN KUMAON AND GARHWAL REGION - WESTERN HIMALAYAS

Among the class Anthocerotae, all five Indian taxa of the genus Phaeoc eros Prosk., i.e. Phaeoceros laevis (L.) Prosk. subsp. laevis Prosk., P. laevis subsp. carolinianus (Michx.) Prosk., P. himalayensis (Kash.) Prosk. ex Bapna et Vyas, P. kashyapii Asthana et Srivastava and P. ud arii Asthana et Nath occur in the humid subtropical moist deciduous fo rests of Garhwal and Kumaon hills of Uttar Pradesh (Western Himalayas) . The genus is represented by its maximum number of taxa (four) at Mus soorie in the Garhwal hills and by three taxa at Chaubatia and Kilbury in the Kumaon hills. Phaeoceros kashyapii has been found restricted t o slightly higher altitudes than the other species and subspecies. P. laevis subsp. laevis, subsp. carolinianus and P. himalayensis are wide ly distributed.