Plant Biodiversity and Conservation (Biodiversity in surroundings of my home )

Assignment

Biodiversity in surroundings of my home

Course Title: Plant Biodiversity and Conservation

Inventory of biodiversity in surrounding of my home

Plants                                                         Animals and birds

1.      Albizia lebbeck                                                15. Black kite

2.      Azadirachta indica                                          16. Cat

3.      Bombax ceiba                                                 17. Crow

4.      Bougainvillea spectabilis                                 18. Donkey

5.      Calotropis procera                                          19. Sparrow

6.      Clerodendrum inerme                                     20. Buffalo

7.      Ficus religiosa

8.      Launaea nudicaulis

9.      Livistona chinensis

10.  Mangifera indica

11.  Melia azedarach

12.  Solanum nigrum

13.  Syzygium cumini

14.  Mellettia pinnata

1.     Albizia lebbeck (L.) Benth.

Family: Fabaceae

Common names: Siris tree, Woman's tongue

Local name: Shareen

Intrinsic value:

·         A nitrogen-fixing tree, with value for shade, quality hardwood (cabinet, veneer, construction), fuel-wood and charcoal, and honey (source of nectar and pollen); proposed as alternative forage to Leucaena leucocephala in more acid soils.

·         The extensive, shallow root system makes it a good soil binder and suited to soil conservation and erosion control. 

·         Various parts of the tree are used in folk remedies for many ailments. 

·         It is also used as an ornamental and avenue tree, and sometimes as a shade tree in coffee and tea. 

·         The bark contains saponins and tannins, used for making soap and in tanning.

2.    Azadirachta indica A. Juss.

Family: Meliaceae

Common name: Neem

Intrinsic value:

·         Neem leaf is used for leprosy, eye disorders, bloody nose, intestinal worms, stomach upset, loss of appetite, skin ulcers, diseases of the heart and blood vessels (cardiovascular disease), fever, diabetes, gum disease (gingivitis), and liver problems. The leaf is also used for birth control and to cause abortions.

·         The bark is used for malaria, stomach and intestinal ulcers, skin diseases, pain, and fever.

·         The flower is used for reducing bile, controlling phlegm, and treating intestinal worms.

·         The fruit is used for hemorrhoids, intestinal worms, urinary tract disorders, bloody nose, phlegm, eye disorders, diabetes, wounds, and leprosy. Neem twigs are used for cough, asthma, hemorrhoids, intestinal worms, low sperm levels, urinary disorders, and diabetes. People in the tropics sometimes chew neem twigs instead of using toothbrushes, but this can cause illness; neem twigs are often contaminated with fungi within 2 weeks of harvest and should be avoided. The seed and seed oil are used for leprosy and intestinal worms. They are also used for birth control and to cause abortions.

·         The stem, root bark, and fruit are used as a tonic and astringent. Some people apply neem directly to the skin to treat head lice, skin diseases, wounds, and skin ulcers; as a mosquito repellent; and as a skin softener. Neem is also used as an insecticide.

3.     Bombax ceiba L.

Family: Bombacaceae

Common name: Cotton tree

Local name: Simbal

Intrinsic value:

·         It is a tree used in Ayurvedic traditional medicine to treat many ailments and health conditions and part of many ayurvedic traditional medicinal remedies.Some of the properties of Bombax malabaricum documented in medical libraries and clinical trials include its anti-helicobacter, anthelmitic, vermifuge, vermicide, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities and properties.

4.     Bougainvillea spectabilis Willd.

Family: Nyctaginaceae

Common name: Paper flower, Bougainvillea

Local name: Bougainvillea

Intrinsic value:

·         It is basically for the ornamental purposes and also possesses some potentially useful antiviral and antibacterial compounds as well as anti-diabetic properties.

5.     Calotropis procera (Aiton) W.T. Aiton

Family: Asclepiadaceae

Common name: Apple of Sodom, Sodom apple, Mudar, Osher, Stabragh

Local name: Ak

Intrinsic value:

·         It plays an important role in improving soil fertility and improved soil water holding capacity. The root bark is febrifuge, anthelmintic, depurative, expectorant, and laxative.

·         The powdered root promotes gastric secretions and useful in asthma, bronchitis, and dyspepsia. Dried whole plant is good tonic, expectorant, depurative and anthelminthic.

·         Its root-bark is very largely used in India as a treatment for elephantiasis, leprosy, and in chronic eczema. It also used as antidote substance and for abortive purposes.

·         Leaves are useful in the treatment of paralysis, arthralgia, swellings and intermittent fevers. Flowers are useful in asthma, catarrh, anorexia, inflammations and tumours.

6.      Clerodendrum inerme (L.) Gaertn.

Family: Verbenaceae

Common name: Gardenia

Intrinsic value:

·         The plant is tough - akes trimming well, and hence, is commonly used as a hedge plant. It also grows well on the beach, tolerating all the salty water sprays. It is found throughout particularly near coastal regions.The juice of the leaves are used as a remedy to bring down fever.

7.     Ficus religiosa L.

Family: Moraceae

Common name: Peepal tree

Intrinsic value:

^·          Ficus religiosa is used in traditional medicine for about 50 types of disorders including asthma, diabetes, diarrhea, epilepsy, gastric problems, inflammatory disorders, infectious and sexual disorders.

·         Peepal tree is of great medicinal value. Its leaves serve as a wonderful laxative as well as tonic for the body. It is especially useful for patients suffering from Jaundice.

·         It helps to control the excessive amount of urine released during jaundice.

·         The leaves of Peepal are highly effective in treating heart disorders. It helps to control the palpitation of heart and thereby combat the cardiac weakness.

·         For constipation problem, there can be no better remedy than the consumption of leaves of Peepal. The leaf of a peepal plant is also considered valuable in the treatment of various kinds of skin disorders.

·         Leaves are of great use in getting rid of mumps. In case of formation of pus, bandaging the leaves of Peepal will ensure that the growth subsides. But, it will give beneficial results only if the problem is in its preliminary stage. This tree of life has also got the medicinal value. The juice of its leaves extracted by holding them near the fire can be used as the ear drop.

·         Its power bark has been used to heal the wounds for years. The bark of the tree is useful in inflammations and glandular swelling of the neck.

·         Its root bark is useful for stomatitis, clean ulcers, and promotes granulations. Its roots are also good for gout. The roots are even chewed to prevent gum diseases.

·         Its fruit is laxative which promotes digestion and checks vomiting. Its ripe fruits are good for the foul taste, thirst and heart diseases. The powered fruit is taken for Asthma.

·         Its seeds have proved useful in urinary troubles.

8.      Launaea nudicaulis (L.) Hook.f.

Family: Asteraceae

English name: Bold-Leaf Launaeae

Intrinsic value:

·         It is nutritive, diuretic, stomachic and blood purifier and is also used as antidote for poisoning.

·         Roots relieve jaundice and skin disorders.

·         Leaves and roots are given in leprosy and leucorrhoea.

9.      Livistona chinensis N.J. Jacquin

Family: Arecaceae

English Name: Chinese fan palm

Intrinsic value:

·         Small specimens look great in pots and planters. Chinese fan palm is a good palm for small yards. Young palms work great as understory plants - I plant them among camellias and gingers under large live oak trees.

·         They are tough enough to survive hot city conditions and can be used in median plantings and along freeways with limited care.

10.             Mangifera indica L.

Family: Anacardiaceae

English Name: Mango

Local Name: Aam

Intrinsic value:

·         Dried Mango flowers, containing 15% tannin, serve as astringents in cases of diarrhea, chronic dysentery, catarrh of the bladder and chronic urethritis resulting from gonorrhea.

·         The bark contains mangiferine and is astringent and employed against rheumatism and diphtheria in India. The resinous gum from the trunk is applied on cracks in the skin of the feet and on scabies, and is believed helpful in cases of syphilis.

·         Mango kernel decoction and powder (not tannin-free) are used as vermifuges and as astringents in diarrhea, hemorrhages and bleeding hemorrhoids. The fat is administered in cases of stomatitis.

·         Extracts of unripe fruits and of bark, stems and leaves have shown antibiotic activity. In some of the islands of the Caribbean, the leaf decoction is taken as a remedy for diarrhea, fever, chest complaints, diabetes, hypertension and other ills.

·         A combined decoction of Mango and other leaves is taken after childbirth.

11.             Melia azedarach L.

Family name: Meliaceae

Common name: Bakain

Local name: Dharek

Intrinsic value:

·         Used externally in the treatment of rheumatism.

·         An aqueous extract reduces the intensity of asthmatic attacks.

·         The leaf juice is anthelmintic, antilithic, diuretic and emmenagogue.

·         A decoction is astringent and stomachic.

·         The leaves are harvested during the growing season and can be used fresh or dried.

·         The flowers and leaves are applied as a poultice in the treatment of neuralgia and nervous headache.

·         The stem bark is anthelmintic, astringent and bitter tonic. It is used as a tonic in India.

·         The fruit is antiseptic and febrifuge.

·         The pulp is used as a vermifuge.

·         The fruit is harvested in the autumn when it is fully ripe and can be used fresh or dried.

·         The seed is antirheumatic. It is used externally.

·         The root bark is emetic, emmenagogue, purgative and vermifuge. It is highly effective against ringworm and other parasitic skin diseases. A gum that exudes from the tree is considered by some to have aphrodisiac properties. This plant should be used with caution, preferably under the supervision of a qualified practitioner. Excess causes diarrhoea, vomiting and symptoms of narcotic poisoning.

·         The seed contains up to 40% of a drying oil. It is used for lighting, varnish etc. The musk-scented seeds are used as beads in rosaries.

·         The fruits are a source of a flea powder and an insecticide. The fruit pulp is also used as an insect repellent.

·         The leaves repel mosquitoes and other insects. Wood - tough, durable, moderately heavy, somewhat brittle, handsomely marked, takes an excellent polish. It has a musk-like aroma. It is used for making furniture, packing cases etc. Because it is fast-growing, it is often used as a fuel.

12.             Solanum nigrum L.

Family: Solanaceae

English name: Black nightshade

Local name: Mako, Kach-Mach

Intrinsic value:

·         S. nigrum has been extensively used traditionally to treat various ailments such as pain, inflammation and fever.

·         The plant is also used in the Oriental systems of medicine for various purposes – as an antitumorigenic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, diuretic and antipyretic agent.

13.             Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels

Family: Myrtaceae

Common name: Java plum

Local name: Jaman

Intrinsic value:

·         It is one of the widely used medicinal plants in the treatment of various diseases in particular diabetes. The plant has been viewed as an antidiabetic plant since it became commercially available several decades ago. During last four decades, numerous folk medicine and scientific reports on the antidiabetic effects of this plant have been cited in the literature.

·         The plant is rich in compounds containing anthocyanins, glucoside, ellagic acid, isoquercetin, kaemferol and myrecetin.

·         The seeds are claimed to contain alkaloid, jambosine, and glycoside jambolin or antimellin, which halts the diastatic conversion of starch into sugar.

14.             Mellettia pinnata (L.) Panigrahi

Family: Fabaceae

Common name: Pongame oiltree

Local name: Sukh-chayn

Intrinsic value:

·         Flower: Used to treat bleeding hemorrhoids, or piles

·         Fruit: Aid treatment of abdominal tumors, female genital tract infections, ulcers, and hemorrhoids

·         Seed: Extracts can be used to heal scar tissue tumors, treat high blood pressure, and treat anemia. Powder reduces fever and helps in treating bronchitis and whooping cough

·         Oil: Used as an astringent and to kill parasitic worms. Helpful in treating whooping cough, piles, liver pain, chronic fever, ulcers, and leprosy. Relieves sore joints and muscles and arthritis. Used to treat eczema and other skin irritations when mixed with zinc oxide

·         Leaf: Whole leaves used as a digestive and laxative and to treat inflammation and wounds. Leaf juice aids in treatment of leprosy, gonorrhea, diarrhea, flatulence, coughs, and colds. Leaf infusions and extracts alleviate rheumatism and itches, respectively.

·         Stem: Extracts used to lower or relieve fever and to sedate the central nervous system

·         Bark: Relieves coughs and colds, reduces spleen inflammation, and mental disorder. Useful for treatment of bleeding piles

·         Root: Used as a toothbrush for oral hygiene, used for killing parasitic worms, and used to treat vaginal and skin diseases.  Juice used to clean ulcers and to close open sores. Mixed with coconut milk and lime water, juice can treat gonorrhea.

15.             Black Kite

Family: Accipitridae

Local name: Cheel

Ecosystem Roles:

·       Black kites play an essential role as efficient scavengers within their ecosystems. A variety of external parasites are found on black kites, as well as several species of endoparasitic trematodes such as Opisthorchis cheelisand some parasitic flatworms like Holostephanus metorchis. These are typically ingested during the consumption of fish.

Economic Importance for Humans:

·         Although there are no known benefits of black kites to humans, red kites, their closest known relative, consume many crop-destroying pests. In addition, they scavenge road-kill, which potentially may help to reduce the spread of disease.

16.             Cat

Family: Felidae

Local name: Billi

Ecosystem Roles:

·         Felids are apex predators that initiate top-down control and are often considered keystone species in their native habitats. Often preying upon the most vulnerable of individuals (e.g., young, old, or ill), felids promote robust prey populations that exhibit decreased vulnerability to disease and prevent overgrazing by large herbivores.

·         Domestic and wild felids are vulnerable to a large number of endoparasites including flatworms (Platyhelminthes), roundworms (Nematoda), thorny-headed worms (Acanthocephala), tongue worms (Pentastomida), and parasitic protozoa (Apicomplexa). Common felid ectoparasites consist of ticks and mites (Acari), sucking lice (Phthiraptera), fleas (Siphonaptera), mosquitoes (Culicidae), and flies (Diptera).

17.             Crow

Family: Corvidae

Local name: kaw’wa

·         Intelligence and social structures makes most crow species an adaptable and opportunistic species. Crows frequently cause damage to crops and property, strews trash, and transfer disease. In densely populated areas around the world crow species are generally regarded as nuisance animals. Crows are protected in the U.S. under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, but because of their perceived destructive nature, control of the species in certain areas is allowed. Because of the crow intelligence, their control is an expensive and perplexing proposition. Methods for control include hunting, chemical immobilization, harassment scare tactics, and trapping, as well as others. Before any measure is used to confine, trap, kill, poison, immobilize, or alter the habits of any wild bird species a person must check local, state, and federal regulations pertaining to such actions.

18.             Donkey

Family: Equidae

Local name: Gadha

Ecosystem Roles:

·         Wild donkeys impact desert vegetation through their grazing and browsing.

Economic Importance for Humans:

·         Since donkeys were first domesticated about six thousand years ago, they have been very important in human economies.. Donkeys played a very important role in developing long-distance trade in Egypt, because of their weight-bearing capacity and their adaptation for desert travel. In ancient Egypt, female donkeys were kept as dairy animals. Donkey milk is higher in sugar and protein than cow's milk. The milk was also used for cosmetic and medicinal purposes. Donkey meat was eaten as food by many people. There were domesticated donkeys in Europe by the second millenium B.C. and the first donkeys came to the New World with Christopher Columbus in 1495. Donkeys were introduced to the United States with Mexican explorers. Many of the wild donkeys in the southwestern United States are descendants of escaped or abandoned burros brought by Mexican explorers during the Gold Rush. Throughout history donkeys have been invaluable as beasts of burden. Even today, donkeys are of great economic importance especially in remote areas. They are being used extensively in efforts to boost the economy and alleviate poverty in poorer areas of the world. Miniature donkeys are very popular as companion animals and for show. Mammoth stock are still used as draft animals in small farming businesses around the world.

19.             Sparrows

Family: Passeridae

Local name: Chirrya

Ecosystem Roles:

·         House sparrows are abundant near human habitations. In these areas they serve as an important prey base for birds of prey and they may have an impact on plant communities because they consume large quantities of seeds. House sparrows seriously impact populations of native birds, such as bluebirds, chickadees, cliff swallows, and some woodpeckers. House sparrows take over the nesting cavities of native birds, including expelling adults and nestlings by force.

Economic Importance for Humans-Positive:

·         House sparrows are well-suited for studies of general biological problems, such as the way animals evolve and pest control.

Economic Importance for Humans-Negative:

·         Because of their preference for human-modified habitats, house sparrows are considered a nuisance species, an aggressive competitor with native birds, and an agricultural pest. Large aggregations around buildings produce annoying noise and large quantities of feces.

20.                         Buffalo

Family: Bovidae

Local name: Muj

Intrinsic value:

• Buffalo provided the people's main food - buffalo liver, brain and nose gristle were a treat, eaten raw.
• Dried buffalo meat, called pemmican, provided food to eat through the winter.
• Buffalo bones provided marrow to eat.
• Buffalo bones were also carved to make knives, and boiled to make glue.
• Buffalo skin could be used to make tipis, clothes, moccasins, bedding, parflèches, saddle covers and water-bags.
• Dried buffalo dung provided fuel for fires.
• Buffalo horns and hooves were made into cups.
• Buffalo sinews were used as bowstrings and thread.
• Buffalo fat was used as soap.
• The rough tongue of a buffalo could be used as a hairbrush.
• The tail of a buffalo could be used as a fly-swat.