Ornamental Plant Diversity and Traditional Uses in Home Gardens of Kham Toei Sub-District, Thai Charoen District, Yasothon Province, Northeastern Thailand

Ornamental plants in rural household gardens provide esthetic, cultural, and practical value, yet their ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological roles remain understudied. This study aimed to identify culturally significant ornamental species in Kham Toei Sub-district, Northeastern Thailand, document their multifunctional uses—including esthetic, ritual, edible, and medicinal roles—and examine how availability, perceived utility, and cultural context influence local valuations. Field surveys were conducted between June 2024 to May 2025 using purposive sampling to select 30 households, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with one primary informant per household. A total of 81 species from 36 families and 66 genera were recorded, dominated by herbaceous plants (53%), with introduced species (74%) exceeding natives (24%). Quantitative indices—Cultural Ornamental Significance Index (COSI), Fidelity Level (FL), and Informant Consensus Factor (FIC)—identified Aloe vera (L.) Burm.f., Cassia fistula L., Curcuma longa L., and Zingiber officinale Roscoe as culturally important species. High FL values, such as 80.00% for Jatropha podagrica Hook. (musculoskeletal use) and Tradescantia spathacea Sw. (gastrointestinal use), along with FIC of 0.83 for eye disorders, indicate strong community agreement on therapeutic applications. These findings demonstrate that ornamental plants support household healthcare, rituals, and ecological functions, reinforcing biocultural resilience and sustaining the integration of cultural, ecological, and medicinal values in community life.