Page 6 - Medicinal Plant Research

Medicinal Plant Research 2014, Vol.4, No.5, 35- 45
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fruits. Abelmoschus esculentus, Cassia fistula,
Citrullus lanatus, Citrus aurantifolia, Cucurbita
maxima, Cucurbita pepo, Ficus carica, Ficus religiosa,
Hordeum vulgare, Luffa cylindrical, Morus alba,
Morus nigra, Prunus persica, Punica granatum,
Zea mays and Ziziphus jujube are wild and cultivated.
Some of them are economically important, but in
terms of density and frequency, the wild fruit plants
are decreasing continuously due to biotic pressure
(Hussain et al., 1995; Sher et al., 2003; 2004; Hussain
et al., 2004; 2005; Gilani et al., 2003; Ibrar et al.,
2007). Punica serve as cash crops in the area.
Plants used in thatching, sheltering and roofing
The local people use leaves and branches of 15
(16.3%) plant species including Alhagi maurorum,
Cannabis sativa, Cassia fistula, Dodonaea viscose,
Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Ficus carica, Ficus
religiosa, Melia azedarach, Morus alba, Morus nigra,
Punica granatum, Saccharum spontaneum, Tamarix
indica, Zea mays and Ziziphus jujuba for thatching,
sheltering and roofing. Our findings agree with
Badshah et al. (1996), Gilani et al. (2003), Hussain et
al. (2005), Sher et al. (2004), and Ibrar et al. (2007)
who also observed some of the same plants for similar
purposes.
Ornamental plant species
16 plant species (17.4%) were classified as ornamental
plants. Among them Cassia fistula, Citrullus lanatus,
Citrus aurantifolia, Cynodon dactylon, Dodonaea
viscose, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Ficus carica, Ficus
religiosa, Melia azedarach, Mentha arvensis, Papaver
somniferum, Prunus persica, Punica granatum and
Rosa indica. Ornamental plants are commercially not
exploited but it can become a good source of income
generation. Rosa had the potential for comer-
cialization.
Plants used in fencing and hedging
Livestock grazing is an important practice in the area
therefore the people protects their crop fields by
planting thorny, bushy or spiny plants around their
crop fields. There were 11 plants used for the purpose
of fencing and hedging in the area. It comprised 12%
of the total plants reported. Some important plants
used for this purpose were Calotropis procera, Cassia
fistula, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Ficus religiosa,
Melia azedarach, Morus alba, Morus nigra,
Saccharum spontaneum, Sorghum halepense, Tamarix
indica and Ziziphus jujuba.
Plants used in making agricultural appliances/tools
In many parts of the valley even today, agriculture is
carried out in primitive traditional way by using
traditional wooden/iron tools. The study recorded that
8 species (8.7%) were used for making agricultural
tools including ploughs, sticks, sickle handles, axe
handles, pullies, knife handles and other agricultural
appliances. Cassia fistula, Eucalyptus camaldulensis,
Ficus religiosa, Melia azedarach , Morus alba, Morus
nigra, Tamarix indica and Ziziphus jujuba are
important in this respect.
Honeybee species
Honeybees visit 56 species (60.9%). The area is
famous for wild honeybee species. Abelmoschus
esculentus, Alhagi maurorum, Allium sativum, Avena
sativa, Calotropis procera, Cannabis sativa, Carthamus
oxycantha, Cassia fistula, Chenopodium album,
Chenopodium murale, Chrozophora oblique, Citrullus
lanatus, Citrus aurantifolia, Convolvulus arvensis,
Coriandrum sativum, Cucurbita maxima, Cucurbita pepo,
Eruca sativa, Ficus carica, Luffa cylindrical, Mentha
arvensis, Mentha longifolia, Momordica charantia, Morus
alba, Morus nigra, Oxalis corniculata, Papaver
somniferum, Prunus persica, Punica granatum, Ricinus
communis, Rosa indica, Saccharum spontaneum,
Solanum surattense, Sonchus asper, Spinacea oleracea,
Tribulus terrestris, Withania somnifera, Zea mays and
Ziziphus jujuba are important plant species for honey
bees. Honey obtained from Saccharum and Zizyphus
spp., is considered to be the best quality, which is
extensively used in the preparation of traditional
medicines and sold at higher rates.
Multi-purpose plant species
The inhabitants of the valley depend on plants for
their needs. Some 19 (20.7%) plant species are
multi-purpose species (Table 1). They include
Abelmoschus esculentus, Cassia fistula, Citrus
aurantifolia, Cucurbita maxima, Cucurbita pepo,
Eruca sativa, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Ficus carica,
Ficus religiosa, Luffa cylindrical, Melia azedarach,