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Phyton (Buenos Aires)

versión On-line ISSN 1851-5657

Phyton (B. Aires) vol.84 no.1 Vicente López jun. 2015

 

ARTÍCULOS ORIGINALES

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

Estudio etnobotánico y estado de conservación de los árboles en el Distrito Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistán

 

Shah A1*, S Rahim1,5, 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.
Address Correspondence to: Amin Shah, e-mail: aminullahshah@gmail.com

Recibido / Received 2.II.2014.
Aceptado / Accepted 31.III.2014.

 


Abstract. Sargodha district is one of the least studied regions of Pakistan regarding its ethnobotanical values. This paper is the frst 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. Tevetia 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 associated 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.

Keywords: Ethnobotanical study; Medicinal plants; Sargodha; Pakistan.

Resumen. El distrito de Sargodha es uno de los menos estudiados de Pakistán en lo que se refiere a sus valores etnobotánicos. Este paper es el primer informe con respecto a la documentación y estado de conservación de las especies arbóreas en el Distrito de Sargodha, y sus usos etnológicos vulgares. En el área de estudio se condujo un estudio de entrevistas durante 2010-2013. Los datos etnobotánicos revelevaron el uso de 100 especies de árboles (6 gimnospermas, 94 angiospermas) pertenecientes a 77 géneros (6 gimnospermas, 71 angiospermas) y 39 familias (4 gimnospermas, 35 angiospermas). Las Fabaceae fueron primeras con 19 especies de árboles, seguidas por las Moraceae con 12 especies. Especies arbóreas como Aegle marmelos, Butea monosperma, Diospyrus malabárica, Gmelina arbórea, Kigelia africana, Manilkara hexandra, Manilkara zapota, Mimusops elengi, Nyctanthes arbor-tristis, Putranjiva roxburghii, Terminalia arjuna y Terminalia bellerica no son solo únicas en su valor medicinal sino también interesantes debido a su ocurrencia inusual en el Distrito. Thevetia peruviana, Cassia fistula, Celtis australis, Delonix regia, Diospyrus malabárica, Grevillea robusta, Haplophragma adenophylum, Jacaranda mimosifolia, Lagerstroemia speciosa, Plumeria rubra, Pteeospermum acerifolium, Roystonea regia, Taxodium distichum y Tectona grandis están incluidas dentro de las especies leñosas ornamentales que vale la pena tener. Otros usos etnobotánicos comunes de estos árboles incluyen su utilidad como cobertura, combustible o usos agrícolas. La falta de conocimiento acerca de los usos potenciales de estas especies, y especialmente la ignorancia de las autoridades involucradas, han conducido a una reducción en las poblaciones de esta valiosa flora arbórea. La documentación de esta flora arbórea, y conocimiento indígeno asociado, se puede usar como una base para el desarrollo de planes de manejo para la conservación y uso sustentable de esta flora en la región de estudio. Un manejo bien organizado es crítico para restaurar y conservar este recurso natural en peligro en el Distrito de Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistán. El inmenso valor que estosárboles tienen desde el punto de vista medicinal y como madera hace necesario promover su conservación, para simultáneamente aliviar la pobreza y mejorar el nivel socio-económico del área en estudio.

Palabras clave: Estudio etnobotánico; Plantas medicinales; Sargodha; Pakistán.


 

INTRODUCTION

Trees are an important source of wood for timber and lumber, but also provide non-timber forest products (e.g., medicines, fuel, fodder, and ornamental and agricultural uses). The prosperity of any country might be partially determined by its forest and tree resources. In addition to their productive and protective benefits, tree species might play a vital role in ecosystem stability, providing of habitat to a large number of faunal diversity (Sheikh, 1993; Shah, 2005). Systematic explorations of the traditional use of plants are urgently needed to unravel the botanical species richness of an area. Pakistan is endowed with a rich plant biodiversity due to its unique geographic and climatic conditions, and the Sargodha District is one of such regions. Ethnobotany is a very important area of study all over the world (Singh & Singh, 2009). It is the study of how the people of a particular region and culture make use of indigenous plants. Ethnobotanists explore how plants might be used in medicine, food, fodder, timber, shelter and religious ceremonies (Badshah et al., 2012). In the context of a complex ethnobotany, there are people who identify plants that are used simultaneously with both food and therapeutic purposes (Hurrell & Albuquerque, 2012). This science provides the possibility of finding new medicines derived from plants (Heinrich, 2000). Ethnobotanical information is necessary to document plant life in any area, especially those which are unexplored. This preliminary taxonomic documentation, and the folk knowledge of indigenous people about the native fora, will serve as a guide for the next coming generations.
Sargodha district is one of the least studied regions of Pakistan regarding its ethnobotanical values. The objective of this study was to document the indigenous use of cultivated and wild trees of the study region.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Sargodha district lies between 32° 51' N and 72° 40' 16 E in the northern part of Punjab, an east-central province of Pakistan. The climate is extreme; very hot in summer and very cold in winter. The hottest months are May, June and July when temperatures reach 50 °C. Most of its area consists of smooth land, except some hilly areas (known as Kirana Hills) with an altitude of approximately 187 m.a.s.l. Two main rivers of Pakistan touch Sargodha, and make the land fertile. The River Jhelum fows on the western and northern sides, and the River Chenab flows on the eastern side of the city. The district includes villages and towns inhabited by a number of castes and ethnic groups (namely: Jats, Rajputs, Arayein, Qureshi, Cheenas, Awans, Tiwanas, Ranjhas, Sials, Gondals, Bhattis, Khokhar, Balochs, Kumhars, Naaii, etc.), each with its own religious, cultural and social traditions. The Sargodha district and its surrounding areas mainly constitute fertile and irrigated land. There is a rich diversity of cultivated and wild trees throughout the area. Local inhabitants of the area are very much close to this natural tree richness for their daily uses. There are diverse ethnic groups in the area having rich indigenous knowledge about the use of trees especially for medicines, non-timber forest products (NTFPs), fuel wood, timber, thatching and roofing, etc. In other parts of the country a lot of work has been reported by many other workers, particularly the documentation of indigenous uses of plants. In the Sargodha District, some studies have been conducted on trees, but their ethnobotanical importance has been neglected so far.
Field work was carried out in 2010-2013, working plan was prepared according to the life forms of the plants, and season of utilization of plant products by the local people. Several field trips were arranged for collecting the trees, especially the wild ones. Ethnobotanical information was collected through semi-structured interviews as described by Cotton (1996). Collected plants were dried, pressed and mounted properly following Carter et al. (2007). Plants were identifed with help of the Flora of Pakistan (Nasir & Ali, 1970-1995; Stewart, 1972) and available literature. The voucher specimens were prepared and deposited in the Herbarium of the Department of Botany, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan for future reference.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

In the study, 100 tree species (6 gymnosperms, 94 angiosperms) belonging to 77 genera (6 gymnosperms, 71 angiosperms) and 39 families (4 gymnosperms, 35 angiosperms) were documented. Out of the 39 families, the Fabaceae ranked frst with 19 tree species, followed by the Moraceae (12 species), Arecaceae (5 species) and Bignonicaeae & Apocynaceae (4 species each). The fourishing of exotic tree species from the families Bignoniaceae, Boraginaceae, Cupressaceae, Ebenaceae, Platanaceae, Proteaceae, Putranjivaceae and Sapotaceae, although represented by a single or a few trees, was quite interesting. This is because they acclimated in the study region in spite of their strange habitat.
Most tree species were of exotic origin and showed multiple uses. An inventory of the ethnobotanical use of these tree species was prepared, and it is shown in Table 1 together with their family name, voucher number (collected by Erum), vernacular name and their traditional uses.

Table 1. Documentation and ethnobotanical use of trees of Sargodha District, Pakistan.
Tabla 1. Documentación y uso etnobotánico de los árboles en el Distrito de Sargodha, Pakistán.





Ethnobotanical knowledge is transmitted from one generation to next. However, this knowledge is liable to be lost under the influence of modernization and rapid urbanization, expansion of agriculture and acculturation of indigenous people (Dixit & Pandey, 1984). Life on planet earth is possible due to plants. Plants play a vital role in the behavior and mental resurgence of people. In Pakistan, there are about 1500 species of medicinal plants that are vital to cure various human ailments (Chaudhary, 1961). In Pakistan, there are more than 430 tree species, distributed over 82 families and 226 genera. Out of these tree species, 22 belong to gymnosperms, distributed over 5 families and 11 genera (Stewart, 1972). Present data are the general results of the ethnobotanical survey conducted from March 2010 to September 2013. Recorded data reveal that there were a great diversity of life forms regarding tree species of the prevailing flora, represented by 100 tree species distributed over 39 families. Out of these tree species, 6 belong to gymnosperms, distributed over 4 families and 6 genera. Because of adverse climatic conditions and especially low altitude (187 m above the sea level), gymnosperms are found here in meager number, while angiosperms constitute the dominate tree fora of the region with the family Fabaceae at the top with 19 tree species. Plants of this family have ethnobotanical uses in all aspects of life, e.g., Dalbergia sissoo, Acacia modesta, Acacia nilotica and Albizia lebbeck are used as best timber plant and contributes to a huge income of the area. Delonix regia, Cassia fistula, Erythrina subrosa, Butea monosperma, Bauhinia variegta and Bauhinia purpurea of this family are included among the tree species that are unique in their ornamental value. Fabaceae trees species like Albizia lebbeck (cure diabetes), Cassia fistula (cure constipation), Butea monosperma (diarrhea, dysentery, diabetes, leucorrhea, skin disorders, piles and healing of chronic wounds) and Millettia pinnata (cure whooping cough) have immense medicinal value as well (Table 1). The Moraceae family ranks second in the area with representation of 12 tree species, all tree species of this family are very well acclimated to Sargodha district. Most tree species of Moraceae are fourishing here as ornamentals like Ficus benjamina, Ficus virens, Ficus religiosa etc., but species like Ficus benghalensis, Morus alba and Morus nigra are known for their best medicinal value (Table 1).

 

The genus Kigelia belongs to the family Bignoniaceae with about 120 genera and 800 species, mostly native to tropical Africa (Ali & Nasir, 1990-1991). Kigelia africana (Gul-e- Fanoos) is included among those tree species that are quite rare in Pakistan. However, trees here are waiting for their extinction due to cutting and misuse despite they are useful to treat various human ailments (e.g., leprosy, skin cancer, diabetes, pneumonia, malaria and rheumatism). Kigelia africana (Gul-e- Fanoos) is a worth looking ornamental species because of having charming chandelier-like inflorescences, and it also provides fruits up to 2½ kg/ fruit; additionally, it is a medicinal plant species.
In the family Euphorbiaceae, tree species are uncommon (Ali & Qaiser, 1993-2009), and a representative of this family in this study is Putranjiva roxburghii (Jia puta), now placed in the family Putranjivaceae (Table 1). This evergreen tree species not only makes the eyes look greenish, but also its seeds are ethnobotanically used as a best treatment against male impotency; this is why it is named as Jia Puta in Hindi.
This tree species is also of exotic origin, and was brought here by the Hindus and English plant lovers, becoming fully acclimated. These tree species were once the sign of beauty of the area; they are now struggling for their survival, and waiting for the day when their name is recognized in papers (Sheikh, 1993).
Sacred tree species here are Aegle marmelos (Pathar Bael) and Ficus religiosa (Peepal) near Hindus and Muslims. The Sapotaceae family is represented by three tree species: Manilkara hexandra (Khirni), Manilkara zapota (Chikoo) and Mimusops elengi (Maulsari). This is considered a rare plant family in Pakistan (Ali & Qaiser, 1993-2009). These tree species not only have fragrant flowers and are grown as ornamentals, but also known for their delicious fruits. See Table 1 for medicinal value of these species. The family Combretaceae is represented by three tree species [i.e., Conocarpus erectus, Terminalia arjuna (Arjun) and Terminalia bellerica (Baherra)], which are included among the most adapted and fourishing tree species here. Conocarpus erectus is a beautiful evergreen hedge tree. The bark of Terminalia arjuna (Arjun) is used as the best treatment of all sorts of cardiac problems. Terminalia bellerica (Baherra) is included among the gigantic trees whose fruits are eaten as an alternative of Juglan regia (Akhrot) and is a beautiful ornamental tree; its fruit pulp is a useful treatment of throat and hest infections. The Meliaceae family contributes to the richness of the flora of the region by three tree species. Sargodha soil and habitat are perhaps the most suitable for Azadirachta indica (neem) in whole Pakistan. Lush green trees can be seen throughout the district. This tree species is not only ornamental, but it may be included among the most medicinallydemanded tree species. If proper amount of work is concentrated in this species, a huge amount of money can be earned.
Topographic and demographic conditions of Sargodha district are not suitable for Gymnosperms. Only six gymnosperm species occur here. Among them, Taxodium distichum is unique because of its unusual occurrence here. Pinus longifolia is the representative of gymnosperms that is flourishing here as an ornamental tree.
Salvadora oleoides, Tamarix aphylla, Tamarix dioica, Prosopiscineraria, Kigelia africana, Butea monosperma, Ficus recemosa, Nyctanthes arbor-tristis, Manilkara zapota and Terminalia bellerica are included among those valuable tree species whose populations are rapidly declining. This is because of their misuse and over-exploitation. Proper management and strategies are urgently needed to conserve this unique flora. The documentation of knowledge is necessary for sustainable use of plants. The results of this ethnobotanical research will further serve as a guide to study biodiversity, conservation and community development (see Martin, 1995).
This paper will contribute to the awareness among the people about the importance of conserving the flora shown in Table 1. Therefore, suitable conservation strategies can be made in this regard, and plant species which are at the verge of extinction due to misuse of people can be conserved. So that next coming generations can use these plants to fulfill their basic needs.
Lack of people awareness about the botanical use of this precious tree flora led to a decline in their population. Many workers also reported ethnobotanical documentation of plant resources in various parts of the country including Punjab salt range, Himalayan and temperate ranges. Trees included in Table 1 could be cultivated along road sides, railway tracks and barren lands. A well-organized management is an urgent need to conserve and/or restore this natural resource of the area. The populations of those tree species should be promoted because they have an immense medicinal and timber value, and their appropriate use will contribute to alleviate poverty and improve the socio-economic status of the area.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This study was supported by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (Project No. 20-1599/R&D/09 3007). The authors thank to an anonymous reviewer for his fruitful comments.

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