Arwa Ahmed Belteben

Amal Ashour Mohammed

Abstract:

In Libya, there are about 2103 plant species, of which 450 are recognized as medicinal plants and 208 are extensively used for ethnomidicinal folk treatment. due to the use of these plants in folk medicine many of these species are threatened. Therefore, the aim of this study, was to record and list the medicinal plant species growing in the Ez`haim region and discover the endemic medicinal plant species that characterize the area. During several field trips from January 2022 to December 2023, samples were collected during the flowering and fruiting phase. Samples of medicinal plants were listed, collected and kept by the authors. They were identified using the encyclopedia of Libyan flora. The investigation revealed that 30 plant species were found in the study area. 20 of them recorded as medicinal plants. The highest number of genera in the study area was reached by the Asteraceae followed by Lamiaceae. These results are consistent with previous studies in Al Jabal Al Akhdar, in which Asteraceae is the most abundant family in Libya with 237 species. There is therefore growing concern that the careless use of resources could lead to the deterioration of vegetation, which poses a threat to the survival of medicinal plants in the area.