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Flora and Fauna of Pakistan
Flora of Pakistan
Pakistan’s native flora reflects its varied climatic zones, which range from arid and semi-arid, to temperate and tropical, as discussed already. This volume provides an overview of the country’s Flora and Fauna. For further details, and an extensive list, please visit The Pakistan Plant database, available online, and for details of flora in different districts, please consult the relevant chapters in this volume. The database provides access to flora of Pakistan, which is a comprehensive inventory of the plants of Pakistan, the first modern cataloguing of more than 6,000 species from Pakistan, a large, relatively poorly known region of South Asia. This Pakistan Plant Database (PPD) includes all information published in the Flora volumes already in print, and available in a searchable web-based format. To date, this project has produced 217 volumes of the Flora, the last 16 of which have been co-published by the Missouri Botanical Garden and the University of Karachi. Many volumes have been authored by world authorities on the taxa involved, who have often partnered with Pakistani botanists[1].
Some of the most common flora of Pakistan is shown in the following table:
| Common name | Scientific name | Common name | Scientific name | Common name | Scientific name |
| Deodar | Cedrus deodara | Fir (Partal) | Abies pindrow | Blue Pine (Kail) | Pinus wallichiana |
| Pine (chir) | Pinus roxburghii | Elm (Kaeen) | Ulmus walichiana | Walnut (Akhrot) | Juglans regia |
| Oak (Bung) | Ouercus incana | Yew (Battangi) | Taxus baccata | Betula (Birch) | Betula utilis |
| Chilghoza Pine | Pinus gerardiana | Spruce (Kachal) | Picea smithiana | Poplar (Putch) | Populas ciliata |
| Monotheca (Gurgura) | Monotheca buxifolia | Viburnum (Guch) | Vibernum nervosum | Burberis (Sumbal) | Berberis lycium |
| Pistacia (Khunjak/
Phulai) |
Pistacia mutica | Acacia (palosa) | Acacia modesta | Sanatha (Zarawanai) | Dodenea viscose |
| Bhaiker (Arosa) | Adhatoda vasica | Ber (Karkana) | Zizyps mauritiana | Babool (Kikar) | Acacia nilotica |
| Olea (Zaitoon) | Olea furrigenea | Frash (gaz) | Tamarix aphylla | Prosopis (Jund) | Prosopis spicigera |
| Sanobar | Juniper | Lai | Tammariy diocca | Jhao | Tammariy gallica |
| Kandi | Prosopis spicigera | Khabar | Salvadora oleoides | Liar | Dia rothii |
| Dranu | Crotalaria burlia | Thohar | Euphorbia caudicifolia | Gangi | Grewia populifolia |
| Khoombhat | Acacia senegal | Dharm Khatri | Aristida scopria | Mert | Panicum turgidum |
| Oont Katara (a tye of shrub) | Alhagi camelorum | Dumahoo | Fagonia cretica | Devi | Prosopis juliflora |
| Flame tree (Gul Mohar) | Delonix regia | Hog Weed (Santoori) | Boethavia diffusa | Banyan or Bohar | Ficus indica |
| Mulberry (shahtoot) | Moususalba | Mango (Aam) | Mangifera indica | Siris | Albizzia lebbeck |
| Jamolan (Jaman) | Enginia jambolana | Lasura | Cordia myxa
|
Amaltas | Cassia fistula |
| Neem (Nin) | Melia indica | Dates or Khajji | Pheni docty lifera | Poplar (Bhan) | Populus euphratica |
| Mimosa (Sharinh) | Albizzia lebbeck benth | Cedar (Drek or bakain) | Malia a zerdarach | Gul e Khaira | Althea rosea L. |
| Asmani booti | Ephedra gerardiana | Phunka | Adiantum incisum L | Hopwood (Sanatha) | Dodona viscosa |
| Wild olives (Kao) | Olea-ferruginea | China berry (Drek) | Melia sempervirens | Sacred fig (pipal) | Ficus religosa |
| Shisham | Dalbargio sissoo | Black Mulberry (Toot) | Morus marrceal | Karir | Cappris aphylla |
| Van | Salvadora abeoides | aak | Calotropois hamiltonit |
Table 1.12 Pakistan Flora
Fauna of Pakistan
There are around 174 mammal species, 668 bird species, around 177 species of reptiles and 198 native and introduced freshwater fish species in Pakistan. There has been little research on invertebrates of Pakistan, but about 5,000 species of invertebrates have been recorded including insects (1,000 species of true bugs, 400 species of butterflies and moths, 110 species of flies, and 49 species of termites). Other species include 109 species of marine worms, over 800 species of mollusks and 355 species of nematodes[2].
Some of the common Mammals of Pakistan are[3]:
| Snow leopard | Wild boar | Common leopard | Wild cat | lynx | Mongoose |
| Wolf | Markhor | Jackal | Ibex | Porcupine | Chinkara |
| Black deer | Hog deer | Blue bull | Grey goral | Wild rat | Barking deer |
| Mountain Sheep | Musk deer | Sindh Ibex | Urial | Wild ass | Woolly flying squirrel |
| Civet cat | Brown bear | Hyenas | Black bear | Indian Otter | Asiatic Jackal |
| Black Buck | Monkeys | Steppie Pygmy Shrew | Striped Hyenas | Grey Shrew | Hedgehog |
| Variety of Bats | Scaly ant eater | Indian wild dog | Jungle cat | Sand Cat | mongoose |
| Fishing cat | Bengal fox | Marco polo sheep | Blue sheep | Wild boar | Hare |
Table 1.13 Pakistan Mammals
Some common birds of Pakistan include:
| 2 varieties of loon | 5 varieties of Grebes | 5 varieties of Shearwaters and petrels | Red-billed and red-tailed tropic birds | 3 varieties of pelicans | Masked Booby |
| 4 varieties of cormorants | 16 varieties of egrets | 7 varieties of storks | 4 varieties of spoon bills | Greater and Lesser Flamingoes | Large variety of ducks |
| White-bellied sea eagle | Egyptian vulture | Black kite | Short-toed eagle | Shikra | Sparrow Hawk |
| Tawny eagle | Imperial eagle | Mountain Hawk-eagle | Falcon | Kestrels | Snow Partridge |
| See-see partridge | Sand partridge | Junglebush quail | Indian pea fowl | quails | Cranes |
| Coots | Houbara Bustard | Ibis bill | stilts | Collared Pratincole | Red-wattled lapwing |
| Various varieties of gulls | Brown noddy | nightingales | Common mynah | peacocks | Cuckoo |
| crow | sparrow | Purple moorhen | pigeons | chakor | peegit |
Table 1.14 Pakistan Common Birds
Reptiles of Pakistan include a variety of turtles, tortoises, soft shell turtles, mugger crocodiles, variety of geckos, variety of agamas, lizards, chameleon, sand lizards, skinks, wide variety of snakes including boas and pythons, kraits and cobras, sea snakes, and vipers.
There are 12 varieties of dolphins and whales found in the waters of Pakistan. The Indus River Dolphin or Blind Dolphin is endemic to Pakistan and is considered to be endangered.
[1] http://www.tropicos.org/Project/Pakistan
[2] Biodiversity Action Plan for Pakistan, WWF – P, IUCN – P and GoP
[3] For complete list of all mammals please visit www.zooreach.org/downloads/…/2003_CAMP_Pakistan_Mammals.pdf