ETHNOMEDICINAL STUDY OF WEEDS IN MAIZE RICE AND TOBACCO FIELDS OF TEHSIL RAZZAR DISTRICT SWABI PAKISTAN

Abstract

Weeds flora of maize, rice and tobacco crop, fields were  studied  at  six villages namely Karnal Sher Kalay, Tarakai, Bachai, Kalu Khan, Adina and Ismaila of Tehsil Razzar, District Swabi during summer 2016 with ethnomedicinal perspectives. A total of 62 most common weeds, belonging to 57 genera and 28 families, were found to be used by local folks for the treatment of different ailments. Among the monocots, family Poaceae was the dominant family having nine genera and nine species (14.75 %) followed by dicotyledonous family Asteraceae with seven (7) genera and seven (7) species (11.47%).  Amaranthaceae and Brassicaceae were represented by five (5) species each (8.19 %). Chenopodiaceae was  represented by one genus having three (3) species (4.91 %) and Euphorbiaceae was represented by three (3) genera with four (4) species (6.55%). Cucurbitaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Malvaceae, Solanaceae and Zygophyllaceae were represented by two genera and two species each (3.27 %), while Papilionaceae has two genera with three species (4.91%). The remaining families were Araceae, Asphodelaceae, Boraginaceae, Cannabaceae, Commliniaceae, Convolvulaceae, Cyperaceae, Fumariaceae, Lamiace, Marsileaceae, Oxalidaceae, Plantaginaceae, Polygonaceae, Portulacaceae, Ranunculaceae and Scorphulariaceae were represented by one species each (1.63 %). The current study revealed that villages of Tehsil Razzar has rich weed flora and though weeds offer competition to the valuable cash crops of  maize, rice and tobacco they also have advantages (medicinal properties) to the local communities.