Imaging based ethno botanical studies of district Poonch, Azad Jammu and Kashmir

Abstract

Present paper aims to study each plant in natural habitat including live imaging of field plant, leaf dorsal, ventral view and flower. A set of standardized digital images with enough features of a plant represent significant role in unambiguous plant identification, gross morphology of a species and taxon recognition, as a supplement herbarium collection. A total of 24 MAPs species belong to 24 families and 24 genera including 9 herbs 3 shrubs, 4 trees and 8 vines were documented. The important plants Aster thomsonii C.B. Clarke., Aquilegia pubiflora Wall. ex Royle, Boerhavia procumbens Banks ex Roxb., Bombax ceiba L., Clematis orientalis L., Dioscorea deltoidea Wall. ex Griseb., Hypericum oblongifolium Choisy, Hedera nepalensis K. Koch, Hort., Ipomoea cairica (L.) Sweet, Litsea tomentosa Heyne ex Wall, Leycesteria formosa Wall., Mucuna pruriens (L.)DC., Morina longifolia Wall. ex DC, Oxyria digyna (L.) Hill, Polemonium caeruleum L., Punica granatum L., Rubus fruticosus Loureiro, Reinwardtia indica Dumort., Symplocos paniculata (Thunb.) Miq., Solena heterophylla Loureiro, Trifolium pratense L., Tylophora hirsuta (Wall.) Wight, Viola odorata L., Ziziphus jujuba Mill. were investigated. It is an effort to solve privilege identification errors, adulteration and misconception for end users due to routine lists of ethno botanical information solely based on botanical names and interviews. This fundamental ethno botanical study will provide opportunity to re-examine botanical information and paved the way for effective and sustainable utilization of local medicinal flora.