Data from: Quantification and characterization of vegetation and functional trait diversity of riparian zones of the protected forest of Kashmir Himalaya, India

Globally, riparian zones are widely recognized for their vital role in water regulation and conservation of biodiversity. The plant vegetation seen along the river banks is generally referred as the riparian vegetation. The present study has specifically investigated the floristic and functional diversity of vegetation in the riparian zones of protected forests of Kashmir Himalaya. Random sampling method was used for site selection while Transect method was used for data collection. Data obtained from field was subjected to taxonomic and functional classification. Floristic, analysis reveals a total of 78 species belonging to 68 genera in 40 families having an unequal distribution of species among families. Nine families contributed half of the species in which, Rosaceae is the dominant family with 9 (12%) species followed by Asteraceae with 8 species (10%) while 23 families are monotypic. In terms of functional trait diversity, herbaceous and perennial forms were dominant over the other life forms. The biological spectrum revealed the dominance of a therophyte life form, indicating disturbed vegetation. Phenological spectrum revealed that maximum flowering periods starts from March to May in which a total of (61%) species were observed. The leading leaf size spectra were mesophyll with 35%, followed by microphyll (31%). Maximum (64%) of the species had simple leaf lamina type. The results of the present study serve as a means to evaluate best management practices, assess restoration and mitigation projects, prioritize riparian related resource management decisions, and establish aquatic life use standards.