2022, Issue 12, Volume 14

FLORISTIC DIVERSITY AND ETHNOBOTANY OF DISTRICT UDHAMPUR (J&K) INDIA-A PART OF NW HIMALAYA

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Jawaid Sarver1, Satish Kumar2*, Swarn Singh1 and Amrita Nigam3

1,2Department of Botany, Govt. Degree College Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir, India

3School of Sciences(SOS), Indira Gandhi National Open University, Main Campus, Maidan Garhi,New Delhi, India.

Email address: jawaidsarver1786@gmail.com

Received-02.12.2022, Revised-15.12.2022, Accepted-28.12.2022

Abstract: A floristic study was conducted in the District Udhampur (Jammu & Kashmir) to learn about the importance of plants that local inhabitants use for numerous purposes. Semi-structured interviews were used to acquire ethnobotanical data from local key informants. A total of 210 plant species were recorded in this study belonging to 75 families and 175 genera. Lamiaceae was the dominant family represented by 19 species followed by Fabaceae with 18 species, Asteraceae represented by 14 species, Rosaceae 9 species, Moraceae 8 species while Polygonaceae and Ranunculaceae represented by 6 species each. Similarly, Acanthaceae, Euphorbiaceae and Solanaceae were presented by 5 species each; Apiaceae, Apocynaceae, Araceae, Pinaceae, Plantaginaceae and Sapindaceae contributed 4 species each; Amaranthaceae, Caprifoliaceae, Convolvulaceae, Liliaceae, Malvaceae, Meliaceae, Oleaceae, Rutaceae and Violaceae were represented by 3 species each, and the rest 50 families have contributed one and two species each. The largest proportion of plant species (153 species, 72.87%) were used in medicine, followed by food(63 species, 30.04%), timber (15 species, 7.14%), fodder (14 species, 6.66%), fuel wood (11 species, 5.33%), religious purposes (13 species, 6.19%) and dye (3 species, 1.42%).The growth form analysis revealed that herbs made the highest proportion with 117 species (55.71%) followed by tree 54 species (25.71%), shrubs 27 species (12.85%), and climbers 12 species (5.71%). The most frequently used plant parts were leaves 88 species (43.34%), followed by fruits 39 species (19.21%), whole plants 36 species (11.88%), flowers 22 species (10.83%),rhizomes13 species (6.40%), bark 12 species (5.91%), wood 8 species (3.94%), shoot 6 species (2.95%), root and stem 5 species each (2.46%).Frequency Index ranges between 4.28 to 57.14.  Berberis lyceum was the most used plant species having a frequency index of 57.14, while Ampelocisuss tomentosa Planch, Biden alba, Nepeta racemosa, Sarcococcasaligna, Stachys alpina were the least utilized with a frequency index of 4.28. Plants such as Senegalia catechu, Aeglemarmelos, Butea monosperma, Quercus leucotrichophora, Cynodondactylon, Phyllanthus emblica, Pistacia integerrima, Olea ferruginea, and Juglans regia were used for more than three uses in the research region, while 48 species were used for more than one purpose, and the remaining 150 species had a single use.

Keywords: Ehnobotanical studies, Fodder, Food, Medicinal, Semi-structured, Indigenous, Inhabitants life forms

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