Species diversity and ethno botanical study of khanpur valley in the sub Himalayan mountains of Pakistan

Abstract

Khanpur Valley, in the sub Himalayan Mountains of Pakistan, is a rich repository of diverse flora of immense medicinal importance. A detailed survey was conducted during 2010-2011 for documentation of indigenous flora of the valley. On the basis of preliminary survey of the valley and discussion with the inhabitants, four ecologically diverse sites namely Dam, Dabola, Jabri and Mang were selected for current study. A total of 202 plant species belonging to 48 families were recorded. Maximum species were from family Asteraceae (19), followed by Poaceae (18) and Fabaceae (12). Similarly maximum species were herbs (141), followed by trees (31), while minimum species were shrubs (30). Moreover, out of total 202 plant species, 71 species (34%) belonging to 42 families were identified as medicinally important. The results revealed that the top 3 medicinally important species in terms of percent preferences were Adhatoda vasica (17.32%), Fumaria officinalis (13.22%) and Ajuga bracteosa (12.27%). The findings further established that the largest number of ailments cured with medicinal plants were associated with the digestive system (36.05%) followed by respiratory disorders (14.83%) and blood purification (14.42%). In case of part of plant used, maximum preferences (37.52%) were expressed for whole plant in case of herbs and leaves (23.32%) of woody plants. Finally, the study found that maximum utilization of medicinal plants was in the form of powder (39.14%) followed by decoction (21.22%).