If you travel through the Himalayas, you are likely to see which of the following plants naturally growing there? (1). Oak (2). Rhododendron (3). Sandalwood Select the correct answer using the code given below

The correct answer is A (1 and 2 only). Oak and Rhododendron both grow naturally in the Himalayas, while sandalwood does not.

• Oak (1): correct. Oak forests (Quercus species such as banj oak, Quercus leucotrichophora) are a standard feature of the temperate belt of the Western and Central Himalayas, roughly between 1,500 and 3,000 m.
• Rhododendron (2): correct. Rhododendron arboreum, known as buransh, is native to the Himalayan temperate and sub-alpine zones and is the state tree of Uttarakhand.
• Sandalwood (3): wrong. Santalum album is native to peninsular India, mainly the Western Ghats and the drier southern tracts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. It is not a natural Himalayan species.

The core concept is altitudinal zonation of vegetation: temperature and rainfall change with elevation, so the Himalayas show distinct tropical, subtropical, temperate and alpine forest belts. This links directly to the Champion and Seth forest classification and to GS-III questions on biodiversity and forest cover.

Trap: Candidates often pick option D because sandalwood is a famous Indian tree, and they forget it belongs to the peninsular south, not the north.