Quantitative Ethnobotanical Assessment of Medicinal Tree, Shrub and Herb Flora in the Eastern Ghats of Northern Andhra Pradesh, India

Abstract The Eastern Ghats of northern Andhra Pradesh harbour a rich, under-documented assemblage of medicinal flora used in local and tribal healthcare. This study compiles and quantitatively analyses the ethnomedicinal tree, shrub, and herb flora recorded from field vegetation surveys, integrating floristic enumeration with documented traditional use. Woody and herbaceous vegetation was enumerated using systematic plot-based sampling, following standard forest-inventory protocols. Species with documented medicinal use were compiled from field records, local (Telugu) plant names, and cross-referenced ethnobotanical/floristic literature. Growth-form distribution, family-wise species richness, plant-part utilization frequency, and therapeutic-use category frequency were calculated as descriptive quantitative indices. A total of 143 medicinally used plant taxa belonging to 116 genera and 51 families were documented (72 trees, 15 shrubs, and 56 herbs). Malvaceae (15 species, 10.5%) and Fabaceae (9 species, 6.3%) were the most species-rich families. Trees were the dominant growth form (50.3%), followed by herbs (39.2%) and shrubs (10.5%). Leaves (26.7%) and bark (23.8%) were the most frequently used plant parts. Wound-healing and skin-related conditions were the largest use category (87 of 143 species), followed by gastrointestinal complaints (70 species) and general tonic/nutritive use (42 species). The flora of this Eastern Ghats tract shows a diverse, taxonomically broad medicinal plant resource base dominated by woody species and leaf/bark-based topical and gastrointestinal remedies. Because the data derive from vegetation-plot enumeration rather than structured informant interviews, the measures reported here describe diversity patterns rather than community citation frequency; dedicated informant-based surveys are recommended to establish cultural consensus and prioritize candidates for validation.