Open Access

ARTICLE

Ethnobotanical study and conservation status of trees in the district Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan

Shah A^1*, S Rahim^1,5 , KH Bhatti², A Khan¹, N Din¹, M Imran¹, M Mohsin³, M Ishtiaq⁴, A Nabila¹, A Ansari¹, S Hussain¹, M Zafar⁵, M Mushtaq⁵, E Mumtaz¹, J Iqbal⁶

1 Department of Botany, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan.
2 Department of Botany, Institute of Life Sciences, University of Gujrat, Gujrat, Pakistan.
3 Department of Textile Engineering, UET Lahore, Faisalabad Campus, Pakistan.
4 Department of Botany, Mirpur University of Science & Technology (MUST). Bhimber Campus, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan.
5 Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad, Pakistan.
6 Department of Biology, Government College Mankera, Punjab, Pakistan.

* Corresponding Author:Address Correspondence to: Amin Shah, e-mail:

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2015, 84(1), 34-44. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2015.84.034

Abstract

Sargodha district is one of the least studied regions of Pakistan regarding its ethnobotanical values. This paper is the first report related to the documentation and conservation status of the tree species in the Sargodha district, and their folk ethnobotanical uses. An interview base survey was conducted in the study area in 2010-2013. The ethnobotanical data revealed the use of 100 tree species (6 gymnosperms, 94 angiosperms) belonging to 77 genera (6 gymnosperms, 71 angiosperms) and 39 families (4 gymnosperms, 35 angiosperms), with the Fabaceae ranking first with 19 tree species, followed by the Moraceae (12 species). Tree species like Aegle marmelos, Butea monosperma, Diospyrus malabarica, Gmelina arborea, Kigelia africana, Manilkara hexandra, Manilkara zapota, Mimusops elengi, Nyctanthes arbor-tristis, Putranjiva roxburghii, Terminalia arjuna and Terminalia bellerica are not only unique in their medicinal value but also interesting because of their unusual occurrence here. Thevetia peruviana, Cassia fistula, Celtis australis, Delonix regia, Diospyrus malabarica, Grevillea robusta, Haplophragma adenophylum, Jacaranda mimosifolia, Lagerstroemia speciosa, Plumeria rubra, Pterospermum acerifolium, Roystonea regia, Taxodium distichum and Tectona grandis are included among the worth looking ornamental tree species. Capparis decidua, Dalbergia sissoo, Tamarix aphylla, Tamarix dioica, Prosopis cineraria and Ziziphus mauritiana are the most commonly used timber species. Other common ethnobotanical utilization of these trees includes either sheltering or fuel or agricultural uses. Lack of awareness about the potential uses of these species, and particularly ignorance of the concerned authorities, have led to a decline in the population of this precious tree flora. Documentation of this tree flora, and as-sociated indigenous knowledge, can be used as a basis for developing management plans for conservation and sustainable use of this flora in the study area. A well-organized management is critical to restore and conserve this endangered natural resource in the District Sargodha, Pakistan. The immense medicinal and timber value of these tree species make it necessary to promote their conservation to simultaneously alleviate the poverty and improve the socio-economic status of the study area.

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