Assessment of Unique Plants Inhabiting with Special Emphasis on Their Therapeutic Significance in Tumakuru District Forests, Karnataka, India

Abstract

The utilization of plants as traditional therapies constitutes a viable alternative within the healthcare system in rural communities. Present study seeks to identify and document the botanical names, families, plant habits, the specific plant parts utilized, alongside their medicinal applications and the conservation status as per the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for each species of traditional medicinal plants found in the Tumakuru district forests. Comprehensive field surveys were undertaken to collect data on plant species, assess floristic diversity, and determine the medicinal importance of various plants across the forest ranges in Tumakuru district. The analysis identified a total of 73 medicinal plant species distributed across 38 families, with the Fabaceae family exhibiting the highest representation comprising 11 species, followed by Apocynaceae and Lamiaceae families, each with five species. Trees emerged as the most commonly utilized category, while leaves were identified as the predominant part employed for remedies, attributed to their ease of collection. Validation against Red Data Book, along with a comparative assessment with the IUCN Red List, indicated that 28% of the identified tree and herb species are classified as rare, endangered, threatened, underscoring the urgent need for conservation and the adoption of sustainable usage practices