Ethnobotanical study of Saharo-Arabian endemic plants in the Egyptian Flora

Abstract

The Saharo-Arabian region comprises an extensive area in north-western Africa. Despite its floristic rarity, it provides many goods and services. The Saharo-Arabian region has many endemic species, many of which are monotypic and Palaeogenic. Hence, this research was aimed to identify the goods and services provided by desert ecosystems. This study recorded the presence of 126 Saharo-Arabian endemics (109 species, 17 subspecies) belonging to 87 genera and 37 families. South Sinai is the richest region with endemics, comprising 83 taxa. The most significant goods were medicine (68 taxa), grazing (43 taxa), and food (15 taxa). In addition, the most offered ecosystem services were sand stabilization (15 taxa), shading (11 taxa), and nitrogen fixation (11 taxa). Three categories of physical defense have been detected (hairy plants, spiny plants and plants with oduor. Most of the medicinal plants in this study contain flavonoids, followed by terpenes, and phenols, while Lipids, resins, and carotenoids have the lowest value. Remedies derived from medicinal plants are used to treat a variety of diseases. Cancer is treated with the highest number of medicinal taxa, followed by antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory taxa. The Saharo-Arabian endemic plants offer numerous goods and ecosystem services. Nonetheless, the study area's Saharo-Arabian plants have recently been threatened by a variety of anthropogenic factors. As a result, they require wise use as well as in-situ and ex-situ conservation measures from all relevant bodies to ensure their long-term viability and sustainability of its services.