Flora of Pune District, Maharashtra. 2025. XVI, 1028 p. gr8vo. Hardcover.

The volume is the result of decades of intensive field explorations, exhaustive herbarium studies, and meticulous taxonomic research. The authors have brought together an authoritative account of 2,308 species belonging to 757 genera and 180 families, including 66 threatened species, reflecting the extraordinary ecological range of this region - from semi-evergreen hill forests to thorn scrub and aquatic vegetation.

The book presents a systematic and updated taxonomy following international nomenclatural standards (ICBN) and the latest revisions, with bracketed artificial keys for easy identification of families, genera, species, and infraspecific taxa. Local Marathi names are provided alongside flowering and fruiting details, with references to illustrations to aid both field researchers and academic users. Herbarium citations include precise locality and collector data for verification, and the volume also documents the status of rare, endemic, and threatened taxa, offering valuable information for conservation planning and biodiversity monitoring. Beyond its scientific value, Flora of Pune District, Maharashtra serves as a timely conservation document. The district’s rich plant wealth faces increasing threats from urbanization, infrastructure development, and habitat fragmentation. By providing a baseline record of its phytodiversity, this work will aid in monitoring changes, formulating conservation strategies, and raising public awareness about the need to protect this irreplaceable natural heritage. With its depth, precision, and accessibility, it stands as a lasting tribute to the botanical richness of Pune and as an enduring resource for future research in the Western Ghats and beyond.