Phytodiversity and Conservation Assessment of Ethnobotanically Significant Flora in Khall Hagram Dara, Lower Dir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Abstract

The current research provides first-hand information about the flora and vegetation of Siyar Dara, consisting of 332 species and 97 families. Among these, 6 species are gymnosperms, while the remaining 326 species belong to 249 genera of angiosperms. Out of these 326 species, 47 species belong to 42 genera of monocotyledonous plants, and the remaining 279 species belong to 207 genera of dicotyledonous plants. Among all 97 families, Asteraceae was the largest family, with 23 genera (9.05%) and 30 species (9.03%). Following Asteraceae, Poaceae and Lamiaceae had 24 genera (9.44%) and 16 genera (6.29%) respectively, with 25 species (7.53%) and 22 species (6.62%) respectively. Rosaceae had 10 genera (3.93%) and 14 species (4.21%), Solanaceae had 7 genera (2.75%) and 10 species (3.01%), Scrophulariaceae had 6 genera (2.36%), Ranunculaceae had 5 genera (1.96%), and Polygonaceae had 5 genera (1.96%), each with 9 species (2.71%). Boraginaceae had 7 genera, Cucurbitaceae had 5 genera, and Euphorbiaceae had 4 genera (1.57%), each with 8 species (2.409%). Brassicaceae had 6 genera (2.36%), while Amaranthaceae and Apiaceae each had 5 genera (1.96%), and Moraceae had 2 genera (0.78%), all with 6 species (1.80%). Convolvulaceae, Salicaceae, and Valerianaceae each had 2 genera (0.78%) and 3 species (0.90%). Rubiaceae had 3 genera and 3 species. Acanthaceae, Alismataceae, Crassulaceae, Nytiginaceae, Primulaceae, Urticaceae, and Verbenaceae were represented by single genera and species. A total of 90 plants were found to be used for various purposes locally, including medicinal (27.7%), fodder (25.5%), miscellaneous (16.6%), fuelwood (11.1%), timber (8.8%), vegetables (8.8%), and ornamental (1%).