Ethnobotanical studies of some plants of Chagharzai Valley,District Buner,Pakistan

Ethnobotanical information was collected on 216 plant species from chagharzai valley,district buner,pakistan. these plants were classified for their traditional medicinal and economic uses. of the 89 families,77 families were dicots; 7 monocots and 3 pteridophytes. asteraceae had 21 species. which was followed by papilionaceae (12 spp.); lamiaceae (10 spp.); poaceae and rosaceae (each with 9 spp.); ranunculaceae (7 spp.); moraceae (6 spp.); amaranthaceae,brassicaceae,solanaceae,apiaceae,euphorbiaceae and polygonaceae (each with 5 species); chenopodiaceae and papaveraceae (each with 4 species); asclepiadaceae,betulaceae,caryophyllaceae,fagaceae,malvaceae,meliaceae,mimosaceae,oleaceae,rhamnaceae and salicaceae had 3 species each. the remaining families had less number of species. gymnosperms and fungi were represented by one family each. among overall plants,138 were medicinal plant species,72 multi-purpose species,66 fodder and forage species,51 fuel wood species,36 vegetable /pot-herb species,fruit yielding and thatching/ roofing 25 species each,21 timber species,19 ornamental species,15 poisonous plants,14 fencing/ hedges plants,12 agricultural tools making species,9 honeybee species and one species used to repel evils. the study indicated that the investigated area is under heavy deforestation,biotic interference and overgrazing pressure. resultantly,valuable economic and medicinal plants of the area are decreasing. sustainable utilization,proper management and conservation of the flora of the area is highly recommended.