Traditional Medicinal Plant Diversity of Penusilanarasimha Wild Life Sanctuary, Eastern Ghats, Andhra Pradesh

Abstract

Wildlife Sanctuary is climax forests and is the only representatives of natural or near-natural vegetation. These are dedicated to deities or ancestral spirits worshipped by local tribes along with surrounding plants and trees. These are ecosystems by themselves and perform all the ecological functions. The Present study deals with certain Medicinal Plants used by the local people who live in and around the Sri Penusilanarasimha Wild life Sanctuary. 308 species belonging to 92 families are enumerated. Out of 308 species Trees are 118 (38%), Herbs 87 (28%), Shrubs 58 (19%), Climbers 39 (13%), Straglers6 (2%). Fabaceae is the dominant family in the study area with 20 species (16%) and then Rubiaceae occupies second with 18 species (15%). Euphorbiaceae occupies third with 15 species (12%), Caesalpiniaceae occupies with fourth 13 species (11%) and Asteraceae occupies fifth with 10 species (8%).