Folk Knowledge and Perceptions about the Use of Wild Fruits and Vegetables-Cross-Cultural Knowledge in the Pipli Pahar Reserved Forest of Okara, Pakistan.

Wild fruits and vegetables (WFVs) have been vital to local communities for centuries and make an important contribution to daily life and income. However, traditional knowledge of the use of wild fruits is at risk of being lost due to inadequate documentation. This study aimed to secure this knowledge through intermittent field visits and a semi-structured questionnaire.

Cross-cultural ethnobotany of the Baltis and Shinas in the Kharmang district, Trans-Himalaya India-Pakistan border.

Human communities that inhabit the political borders live a transitional life, which is due to several socio-political and geo-climatic factors. The current cross-cultural ethnomedicinal study was conducted at the highly elevated Pakistan-India borders of the Western Himalayas in order to address the medicinal flora and folk knowledge of Balti and Shina communities. Ethnobotanical field surveys were conducted from May 2021 to September 2022.

Connecting nutritional facts with the traditional ranking of ethnobotanically used fodder grasses by local farmers in Central Punjab of Pakistan.

The local farmers of Central Punjab, Pakistan have been using indigenous grasses as vital components of ruminant diets, but little is reported about their nutritional potential. Hence this study investigated nutritive potential of a selection of ethnobotanically important fodder grasses. Multiple nutritional parameters (proximate components, fibre fractions), secondary metabolites (phenolics, tannins) and in vitro digestibility values were determined.

Light and scanning electron microscopic comparative studies of geminivirus infected and healthy Eclipta alba (L.).

Eclipta alba (L.) is a valuable medicinal plant. However, its medicinal efficacy can be affected by geminivirus infection.

Light and scanning electron microscopic imaging of leaf transverse sections of indigenous fodder grasses of central Punjab, Pakistan.

The significance of grasses as fodder is enormous. However, it has been observed that different fodder grasses are identified locally with the similar vernacular names. Even same species recognized with different names.

Indigenous knowledge and quantitative ethnobotany of the Tanawal area, Lesser Western Himalayas, Pakistan.

Ethnobotanical field surveys were carried out in the Tanawal area of the Lesser Himalayan Region, Khyber Pakhtunkhawa, Province from April 2016 to October 2017. The area is located between 34.36 (34° 21' 30 N) latitude and 73.

Scanning electron microscopic imaging of palynological metaphors: A case study of family Poaceae taxa.

This study highlighted the taxonomic utilization of palynological metaphors for selected members (53) of family Poaceae. Multiple microscopic technique light and scanning electrons had been employed for detailed analysis. Results reported monad pollen type in all studied 53 members, which showed its limited taxonomic value up to family level.

Light and scanning electron microscopy-based foliar morpho-anatomical comparison of selected family Rosaceae members distributed in District Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.

In the present study morpho-anatomical characterization of selected Rosaceae members distributed in District Lahore was performed. Light and scanning electron microscopy was used for systematic characterization of the selected 19 species. Distinguished morpho-anatomical features such as size and shape of epidermal cells, size and type of stomatal cells, size and shape of trichomes, oil droplets, and silica bodies were contrasted.

Natural Coumarins: Exploring the Pharmacological Complexity and Underlying Molecular Mechanisms.

Coumarins belong to the benzopyrone family commonly found in many medicinal plants. Natural coumarins demonstrated a wide spectrum of pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, anticancer, antibacterial, antimalarial, casein kinase-2 (CK2) inhibitory, antifungal, antiviral, Alzheimer's disease inhibition, neuroprotective, anticonvulsant, phytoalexins, ulcerogenic, and antihypertensive. There are very few studies on the bioavailability of coumarins; therefore, further investigations are necessitated to study the bioavailability of different coumarins which already showed good biological activities in previous studies.

Morphological and palynological assessment of taxonomically problematic genus Paspalum based on light and scanning electron microscopy.

Present research work was carried out to clarify the variations among species of genus Paspalum morphologically and palynologically as this genus is taxonomically difficult due to having multiple similar morphologically overlapping characters which make it difficult to identify. Henceforth present research work was carried out to delimit taxa within the same genus by morphological and palynological tools through light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Both these tools are considered as the most useful taxonomic characters for taxonomically problematic genera.

Morphological and palynological assessment of some taxa of genus Echinochloa through light and scanning electron microscopy.

The present study was undertaken to gather information on selected species of Echinochloa based on their morphological and palyonological examination through light and scanning electron microscopy. As the Echinochloa species are most problematic grass weeds and exhibit high interspecific and intraspecific variability so due to their great morphological diversity it is difficult to recognize them. A lot of variation was observed in morphological features of studied taxa.

Light and scanning electron microscopic study of genus Echinochloa species inhabited in Pakistan.

Grass taxonomy is quite problematic and insignificant taxonomic work has been done on Echinochloa with special reference to Pakistan. Therefore, the present study was carried out to provide taxonomic keys for the identification of this genus through microscopic epidermal leaf anatomical parameters. Light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were done to delimit the different species.

Application of multimicroscopic techniques (LM and SEM) in comparative palynological study of Asteroideae members, inhabited in Pakistan.

In the present study light and scanning electron microscopic approaches were used to study the palynological variations among 30 Asteroideae members. Variety of qualitative and quantitative palynological characters like pollen shape and type, pollen sculpturing, pollen size, P/E ratio, exine and intine thickness, interspecific difference, colpi size, pore size, spines length, spine width, and pollen fertility were observed. Results reported remarkable variations among pollen characters of studied taxa.

Scanning Electron Microscopy-based palynological characterization of selected Euphorbiaceae taxa colonized in Pakistan.

The present study was carried out on scanning electron microscopic-based palynological characterization of selected 20 Euphorbiaceae taxa. In this study, important pollen qualitative and quantitative features of selected Euphorbiaceae species such as polar diameter, equatorial diameter, P/E ratio, sculpturing of pollen, exine thickness, intine thickness, presence or absence of colpi and length of colpi, and pollen fertility were examined. Remarkable variations in these pollen characters had been observed among these species.

Scanning electron microscopic screening; Can it be a taxonomic tool for identification of traditional therapeutic plants.

The limiting factor in the utilization of herbal medicine is the risk of replacement or substitution of their plant resources. Therefore, the authentication of medicinal plants before its use in herbal medicines is essentially required. Hence, the prime objective of this study was to provide some reliable morpho-anatomical and morpho-palynological tools for the identification of nine traditional therapeutic plants of district Lahore.

Light and scanning electron microscopic characterization of thirty endemic Fabaceae species of district Lahore, Pakistan.

In the present study anatomical characterization of 30 species of Fabaceae endemic to Lahore, Pakistan were done under light and scanning electron microscopy. Variety of qualitative and quantitative anatomical characters like epidermal cells shapes and size, stomata types, length, and width of guard cells, subsidiary cells, trichomes, silica bodies, shapes, and their numbers were studied. Overall polygonal, irregular smooth, thick walled epidermal cells were observed at both abaxial and adaxial surfaces except Dalbergia sisso Roxb in which hexagonal epidermal cells were reported.

Applications of scanning electron microscopy in taxonomy with special reference to family Euphorbiaceae.

The present study was carried out to identify the 20 medicinally important species of family Euphorbiaceae by the aid of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the foliar anatomical characteristics. Both qualitative and quantitative measurements for the anatomical characters like epidermal cells, stomata, trichomes, and subsidiary cells on both abaxial(ab) and adaxial(ad) epidermis were recorded. Remarkable variations in these anatomical features had been observed among the studied Euphorbiaceae species.

Light and scanning electron microscopy-based foliar micro morphological tools for the identification of fodder grass taxa.

Fertile plain of Central Punjab Pakistan is rich with fodder grasses and from centuries the local inhabitants of this area have been using their regional grasses for ruminant feeding. However, they always faced difficulties in identification because of their overlapping vernacular names, more or less identical leaf shapes, indefinite variations in stem branching pattern, and reduced floral parts. Hence, the current study has provided a detailed and comprehensive micro-morphological analysis of 53 ethnobotanical fodder grass taxa.

Scanning electron microscopic screening of 20 medicinally important Asteroideae taxa.

In the present study anatomical characterization of 20 medicinally important Asteroideae species were done under light and scanning electron microscopy. Variety of qualitative and quantitative anatomical characters like epidermal cells, stomata, guard cells, subsidiary cells, trichomes and oil droplets were observed. Generally pentagonal, polygonal, irregular or hexagonal, smooth, undulating thick walled epidermal cells were observed in studied species.

Implication of palynological techniques for the authentication of adulterated drugs traded with the same name in different herbal markets of district Lahore, Pakistan.

Adulteration in traded medicinal plants is a significant issue nowadays and use of these adulterated medicinal plants can impose harmful impact to end user. However, this problem can be overcome by ensuring the identification of traded medicinal plants which are used in making different herbal medicines. In this regard, palynological markers are considered to be an important taxonomic tool in the identification of original medicinal plant from its adulterant.

Ethnobotanical studies of fodder grass resources for ruminant animals, based on the traditional knowledge of indigenous communities in Central Punjab Pakistan.

Background: Traditional knowledge of indigenous plants is pivotal in developing strategies to feed livestock sustainably in low input systems. Likewise, in Pakistan the indigenous people of Central Punjab have been using their regional grasses as a ruminant fodder for centuries. This study evaluated the indigenous traditional knowledge to ascertain the value of various fodder grasses to optimise their use to feed livestock in Central Punjab.