Home › PYQs › Environment › All questions › 2008 · Himalayan trees
UPSC Prelims 2008 · Environment · Nature’s Machinery
Which one of the following is not essentially a species of the Himalayan vegetation?
- (a) Juniper
- (b) Mahogany
- (c) Silver fir
- (d) Spruce
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (b) Mahogany
Mahogany is a tropical American hardwood planted in India’s plains — not Himalayan.
The idea
Himalayan forest above the foothills is made of trees of cold climates, mostly conifers with needle leaves and cones. Mahogany is a broad-leaved tree of the hot, wet lowlands of Central and South America.
Lower hills: chir pine → Middle: deodar, blue pine, oak → Higher: silver fir, spruce → Near the tree line: birch and juniper
Why the others are wrong
(a) Juniper grows in the sub-alpine Himalaya.
(c) Silver fir is a temperate Himalayan conifer.
(d) Spruce is a temperate Himalayan conifer.
Also know
Uses: deodar for building and railway sleepers, chir pine for resin, fir and spruce for paper pulp and packing cases. Willow from Kashmir is used for cricket bats.
🔒 Himalayan conifers: deodar, chir pine, blue pine, fir, spruce, juniper.