Research Projects

Family Apiaceae, a large Angiosperm family, has 3,700 species and 450 genera worldwide. In India, over 25% of all members have medicinal potential, with over 70% found in subalpine-alpine zones. Heracleum candicans, a medicinal herb native to the Himalayas, is in risk of extinction due to human activity, habitat loss, and livestock pressure. The species is threatened in the Northwest Himalaya due to meiotic abnormalities, such as normal bivalents, stickiness of bivalents, bridges and laggards, and cytomixis. The study aims to forecast the species' suitable habitat distribution and design a strategic conservation strategy based on research on reproductive biology and meiotic behavior. This will help design a sustainable future for this valuable plant.