If you travel through the Himalayas, you are likely to see which of the following plants naturally growing there? Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Answer: (a) 1 and 2 only

Oak and rhododendron are Himalayan; sandalwood is a southern dry-forest tree.

Statement by statement

1. ✓ YES Oaks (banj, moru, kharsu) form forests at 1,500–3,000 m.

2. ✓ YES Rhododendron — state tree of Uttarakhand, state flower of Sikkim and Himachal.

3. ✗ NO Sandalwood grows in the dry deciduous forests of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

The idea

Oak and rhododendron are trees of cool mountain climates and grow together across the middle Himalaya. Sandalwood needs warmth and a dry season; it is a tree of the southern Deccan.

1,500–3,000 m: oak forests, with rhododendron flowering red in spring → Higher: fir and birch with shrub rhododendrons → Southern Deccan, far below: sandalwood

The trap

Sandalwood is firmly linked with Karnataka.

Also know

Himalayan oak forests hold water well and feed mountain springs. Rhododendron (buransh) is the State tree of Uttarakhand and the national flower of Nepal. Sandalwood is a partial root parasite: it draws water and minerals from the roots of neighbouring plants.