A Checklist of Bryophytes from Kamrup district of Assam, Northeastern Himalayas

Bryophytes remain understudied in the Northeastern Himalayas. The present bryofloristic investigation was carried out in the Kamrup district of Assam, which is an unexplored region of Northeastern Himalaya. Bryophyte samples were collected from 2021 to 2024 in different months. We recorded a total of 126 species belonging to 76 genera under 44 families which included 55 genera representing 90 species of mosses, 19 genera representing 34 species of liverworts, and two genera representing two species of hornworts. The present study found 50 new records for Assam encompassing 34 species of mosses, 15 liverworts, and one hornwort species. These included four moss species reported for the first time in Northeastern Himalaya, namely Ectropothecium kerstanii, Gollania clarescens, Leucophanes glaucum, and Trichosteleum punctipapillosum. Among the recorded nine different substrata, highest number of 37 species were found on moist soil. We also found a highest number of 37 species from an elevation range of 81–100 m elev. Nearly 10 percent of bryophyte species found in the present study area are endemic to India. This study is the first comprehensive documentation of bryophytes of the Kamrup district of Assam and will be helpful in forest conservation policies and management practices.