Presence of invasive alien flora is deemed to be a menace to the native and endemic flora of any region. The impact is more prominent in tourist places like Shimla that lies in the Himalayan range which itself is a biodiversity hotspot. The ecosystem being rickety here makes it even more susceptible to habitat deterioration. An important step for effective and proper management of Invasive flora is the preparation of its baseline data. By means of regular surveys this present abridged study has revealed a total of 99 herbaceous invasive plant species belonging to 27 families and 75 genera. Near about 54 % of these species are native to the American continents, followed by Europe (25%), Eurasian/Mediterranean region (18%), Africa (3%) and China with a mere 1%. Majority of the species belonged to the Asteraceae family. This study reveals the finite information on Invasive alien plants in the region that is currently available. However, there is a need to lay stress towards practical appl

Invasive, biodiversity hotspot, herbaceous, habitat deterioration, management.

By abundant seed and biomass production the alien invasive species are thriving in new areas, thereby altering and threatening the native floral elements. Plant species tend to become invasive when they are ignored for a longer period of time. Documentation after thorough analysis of flora by understanding taxonomic diversity is of prime importance. Besides, monitoring of invasive species is also one of the main step in management by inventory building, phyto-sociological means and mapping. It warrants a strategic planning for early detection and reporting of invasive plants. Also, a sound link needs to be established between taxonomists, ecologists and forests departments, for its better and effective management. The current study on the ‘Invasive Herbaceous Floral Elements in Shimla’, will prove to be fruitful and would serve as handy reference for future research, as it inventories a list of herbaceous alien invasive flora of the city. It will also be helpful for the research

Chauhan, A. and Jishtu, V. (2020). Invasive Herbaceous Floral Elements in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh (India): An Analysis. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 12(2): 22-29.