FLORISTIC DIVERSITY AND ETHNOBOTANY OF SENHSA, DISTRICT KOTLI, AZAD JAMMU & KASHMIR (PAKISTAN)

A floristic study was carried out in Senhsa, District, Kotli, Azad Kashmir. Ethnobotanical data of plants were obtained from local key informants, mainly based on semi-structured interviews. The study area is floristically very rich having thick vegetation cover. A total of 112 plant species distributed in 97 genera and 51 families were documented. Of these 84 species (42.71%) are used in medicine, followed by as fodder (35 spp., 18.23%), marketing (26 spp., 13.54%), fuel (24 spp., 12.50%) and ornamental (14 spp., 7.29%). The most frequently used plant parts are leaves (77 spp., 27.50%) followed by stem (49 spp., 17.50%), fruits (46 spp., 16.43%), seeds (40 spp., 14.29%), flowers (36 spp., 12%) and roots (32 spp., 11.43%). Habit of medicinal plants includes herbs (56 spp., 50%), followed by trees (32 spp., 18.75%), shrubs (21 spp., 18.75%), and climbers (3 spp., 2.68%). The area is rich in vegetation and blessed with a variety of resources. The people are dependent on these natural resources especially for their food, shelter, fodder, timber, fuel, and health-care.