Abstract
In the frame of conservation and sustainable utilization of neglected and underutilized phytogenetic resources, this study produced for the first time a detailed ecological profiling for the local Tunisian endemic Marrubium ascheronii (Lamiaceae) using Geographical Information Systems and open-source data. This profile was used to illustrate the abiotic environmental conditions of its wild habitats; the profile facilitated the examination of the effect of temperature on its seed germination and may inform species-specific guidelines for its cultivation in man-made environments. With effective seed propagation firstly reported herein (68.75% at 20 °C), species-specific in situ conservation efforts and ex situ conservation or sustainable exploitation strategies were enabled for M. aschersonii. The first-reported molecular authentication (DNA barcoding) of M. aschersonii may facilitate its traceability, allowing for product design. This study also reports for the first time the effects of chemical and integrated nutrient management (INM) fertilizers on the growth and pilot cultivation of M. aschersonii seedlings, with the latter being advantageous. This multidisciplinary approach has bridged important research gaps that hindered the conservation efforts and/or the sustainable exploitation for this local endemic plant of Tunisia. Based on all the above, we re-evaluated and updated the feasibility and readiness timescale for sustainable exploitation of M. aschersonii in the medicinal-cosmetic, agro-alimentary and ornamental-horticultural sectors.
Highlights
The genus Marrubium (Lamiaceae) includes about 40 recognized species mainly distributed in Europe, North Africa, and Asia [1]
Among the 82 Tunisian local endemics comparatively examined in terms of ornamentalhorticultural potential [25], Marrubium aschersonii showed a 34.17% overall score (Figure 3A), showing rather an interesting general potential in the ornamental-horticultural sector compared to the highest-evaluated Tunisian endemic species, namely, Limonium byzacium Brullo and Erbern (47.5%)
Of the optimum possible score, ranking it among the top-three Tunisian local endemics; otherwise, it may be possibly eligible for landscaping and xeroscaping applications
Summary
The genus Marrubium (Lamiaceae) includes about 40 recognized species mainly distributed in Europe, North Africa, and Asia [1]. From the perspective of phytochemistry, members of the Marrubium genus have been found to be rich in diterpenoids, sterols, flavonoids, and phenylpropanoids, and these compounds are associated with a wide range of pharmaceutical uses such as antinociceptive, antispasmodic, antioedematogenic, antimicrobial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory activities [9,10]. Most of these properties are reported for M. desertii de Noé [11], M. aschersonii Magnus [12,13,14], and mainly for M. vulgare [15,16,17]. M. aschersonii is a perennial plant with pink bilabiate flowers and thick and whitish indumentum covering stems and leaves on both sides; it is endemic to the north, central, and south parts of Tunisia, thriving in sunny open sites of low to medium altitudes or on lowland steep slopes [19]
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