Taxonomic studies of grasses and their indigenous uses in the salt range area of Pakistan

The present investigations were carried out in Salt Range area of Pakistan, regarding the morphology of grasses as an aid to their correct identification, their distribution and indigenous uses in the area. Thestudy area is globally known by its large salt reserves and it has rich floral diversity. From the study area 62 species of grasses belonging to 11 tribes were collected. The largest tribe was Paniceae followed by Andropogoneae having 18 and 12 species, respectively. The grasses play an important role in economy of the people of the area. Mainly, grasses are used as fodder in the area; some grasses are used for thatching and for medicinal purpose. There is deterioration of the habitat of grasses due toovergrazing. In situ conservation is recommended for future researc

Taxonomic studies of nodulated leguminous weeds from the flora of North Western part (Dera Ismail Khan) of Pakistan

An extensive survey was carried out during 2005 - 2007 to investigate nodulated leguminous weed species which grow in agricultural and non-agricultural fields of North Western part (Dera Ismail Khan)of Pakistan. Studies revealed that 18 such weed species belonging to 10 genera are commonly found in the research area. The genera with number of species are: Alhaji ( 1 sp.), Argyrolobium ( 1 sp.), Astragalus ( 2 spp.), Cajanus ( 1 sp.), Lathyrus ( 2 spp.), Lotus ( 1 sp.), Medicago ( 5 spp.), Melilotus ( 3 spp.), Sesbania ( 1 sp.) and Vicia ( 1 sp.). Results were systematically arranged by alphabetic order of botanical names, followed by synonyms (if any), description of the plant, flowering and fruiting period, type, local and general distribution. Nodulated leguminous plant specimens were collected, identified, preserved, mounted and deposited as voucher specimens in the Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-University, Islamabad, for future references