Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Forest-based Plants in Beautification and Their Medicinal Significance

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Non-Timber Forest Products

  • 677 Accesses

Abstract

The forests include several ornamental plant species (trees, shrubs, herbs, vines, orchids and ferns) highly valued for their flowers, foliage or plant form. The exquisite beauty of these plants is of captivating interest to the growers, hobbyists and decorators for beautifying residential homes, garden and parks and making excellent gifts for special occasions. They are suitable alternatives to the exotic species that are largely being used but may turn invasive in the existing native flora. Many of these ornamentals have potent medicinal properties too. Their usage has been well documented in several traditional systems of medicine like Ayurveda, Unani etc. Some of these include legumes such as Albizia spp., Bauhinia spp., Cassia spp., Caesalpinia spp., Desmodium spp. etc., orchids like Aerides spp., Bulbophyllum spp., Coelogyne spp., Habenaria spp., Pleione spp., Rhyncostylis spp., Dendrobium spp. and many others. With the advent of the herbal renaissance, many of these medicinal/ornamentals plants are also being used in pharmaceutical preparations. Overall, this work attempts to collate detailed information on different types of medicinally active ornamental plants found in the Indian subcontinent and their domestication and landscaping strategies.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Adema F (1996) Notes on Malesian Fabaceae (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) 1. The genus Erythrina L. Blumea 41(2):463–468

    Google Scholar 

  • Allen ON, Allen E (eds) (1981) The leguminosae: a source book of characteristics, uses and nodulation. The University of Wisconsin Press, USA

    Google Scholar 

  • Andel TV (2006) Non-timber forest products the value of wild plants. Agromisa Publication and CTA, The Netherlands

    Google Scholar 

  • Asif M, Kumar A (2009) Anti-Inflammatory activity of ethanolic extract of Dalbergia sissoo (Roxb.) bark. Malaysian J Pharm Sci 7(10):39–50

    Google Scholar 

  • Baidya N, Mandal L, Banerjee GC (1995) Nutritive values of Mikania scandens and Erythrina indica in black Bengal goats. Small Ruminant Res 18(2):185–187

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Balachandran N, Rajendiran K (2015) Multicoloured seed coat and flower in Abrus precatorius (Leguminosae), India. Curr Sci 109:682–684

    Google Scholar 

  • Baranwal A, Devi S (2016) Ashoka (Saraca indica) in Indian traditional medicine: A review. Int J Res Appl Nat Social Sci 4(5):137–140

    Google Scholar 

  • Bharath M, Tulasi ELR, Sudhakar K, Chinna Eswaraiah M (2013) Dalbergia sissoo DC. – an important medicinal plant. Int J Res Pharma Chem 3(2):384–388

    Google Scholar 

  • Bhattacharya M, Singh A, Ramrakhyani C (2014) Dalbergia sissoo – an important medical plant. J Med Plants Stud 2(2):76–82

    Google Scholar 

  • Borai P, Husen A (2003) Aromatic oils from forest. In: Nautiyal S, Kaul AK (eds) Non-timber forest products of India. Jyoti Publishers and Distributors, Dehradun, India, pp 314–331

    Google Scholar 

  • Burli DA, Khade AB (2007) A comprehensive review on Butea monosperma (Lam.) Kuntze. Pharmacol Rev 1(2):333–337

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chauhan N, Rajvaidhya S, Dudey BK (2012) Pharmacognostical, phytochemical and pharmacological review on Clitoria ternatea for antiasthmatic activity. Int J Pharma Sci Res 3(2):398–404

    Google Scholar 

  • Chew YL, Chan EWL, Tan PL, Lim YY, Stanslas J, Goh JK (2011) Assessment of phytochemical content, polyphenolic composition, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of Leguminosae medicinal plants in Peninsular Malaysia. BMC Complement Altern Med 11:12

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Chiang LC, Chiang W, Liu MC, Lin CC (2003) In vitro antiviral activities of Caesalpinia pulcherrima and its related flavonoids. J Antimicrob Chemother 52:194–198

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Connor KF (2001) Bauhinia purpurea. In: Vozza JA (ed) Tropical tree seed manual, agriculture handbook, vol 721. USDA Forest Service, Washington, pp 329–331

    Google Scholar 

  • Contu S (2012) Bauhinia purpurea. The IUCN red list of threatened species. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/19891953/20027617.html (Accessed 20 Oct 2020)

  • Danish M, Singh P, Mishra G, Srivastava S, Jha KK, Khosa RL (2011) Cassia fistula Linn. (Amulthus) – an important medicinal plant: a review of its traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacological properties. J Nat Prod Plant Resour 1(1):101–118

    Google Scholar 

  • Desai TH, Joshi SV (2019) Anticancer activity of saponin isolated from Albizia lebbeck using various in vitro models. J Ethnopharmacol 231:494–502

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dhasade V, Nirmal S, Patil R (2018) Pharmacognostic and phytochemical evaluation of Tamarindus indica Linn. leaves. Curr Pharm Res 8(2):66–73

    Google Scholar 

  • du Puy DJ, Labat JN, Rabevohitra R, Villiers JF, Bosser J, Moat J (2002) The Leguminosae of Madagascar. Royal Botanic Gardens, Richmond, p 737

    Google Scholar 

  • Duke JA (1983) Handbook of energy crops. https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/duke_energy/dukeindex.html (Accessed on 15 Oct 2020)

  • Eldeen IMS, Heerden FR, Staden J (2010) In vitro biological activities of niloticane, a new bioactive Cassane diterpene from the bark of Acacia nilotica subsp. Kraussiana. J Ethnopharmacol 128(3):555–560

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gabhane VV, Pagar PC, Patil BN, Pattiwar VV (1995) Impact of multipurpose tree species on nutrient status of black soil. J Soil Crops 5(2):166–168

    Google Scholar 

  • Ganguli NB, Bhatt RM (1993) Mode of action of active principles from stem bark of Albizzia lebbeck Benth. Ind J Exp Biol 31(2):125–129

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Garaniya N, Bapodra A (2014) Ethno botanical and phytopharmacological potential of Abrus precatorius L.: A review. Asian Pac J Trop Biomed 4(1):S27–S34

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Gomez SM, Kalamani A (2003) Butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea): a nutritive multipurpose forage legume for the tropics: an overview. Pakistan J Nutr 2:374–379

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Growns D, Webb M (2012) Breeding Australian native plants for a changing climate. Acta Hortic 937:1093–1096

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gu J, Wang ET, Chen WX (2007) Genetic diversity of rhizobia associated with Desmodium species grown in China. Lett Appl Microbiol 44(3):286–292

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gupta RK (1993) Multipurpose trees for agroforestry and wasteland utilisation. Oxford & IBH Publishing Co., New Delhi

    Google Scholar 

  • Gupta SR, Ravindranath B, Sheshadri TR (1970) The glucosides of Butea monosperma. Phytochemistry 1970:2231–2235

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Habib-ur-Rehman SM, Ahmad I, Shah S, Hameedullah (2006) Sorption studies of nickel ions onto sawdust of Dalbergia sissoo. J Chinese Med Soc 53:1045–1052

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Husen A, Faisal M (2005) Orchid diversity and its prospects of cultivation in Uttaranchal, India. Ann For 12:275–280

    Google Scholar 

  • Husen A, Rahman MF (2003) Orchids an important group of plants for traditional system of medicine in India. Ind For 129:651–653

    Google Scholar 

  • Jalal JS, Kumar P, Pangtey YPS (2008) Ethnomedicinal orchids of Uttarakhand. Ethnobotanical Leaflets 12:1227–1230

    Google Scholar 

  • Jash SK, Singh RK, Maji S, Sarkar A, Gorai D (2013) Peltophorum pterocarpum: Chemical and Pharmacological aspects. Int J Pharm Sci Res 5(1):26–36

    Google Scholar 

  • Jhade D, Ahirwar D, Sharma NK, Jain R, Gupta S (2009) Butea monosperma (Lam.) Taubert: a review. J Pharm Res 2(7):1181–1183

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Joshi DN, Mishra VK, Husen A (2003) Oils and fats from forest. In: Nautiyal S, Kaul AK (eds) Non-timber forest products of India. Jyoti Publishers and Distributors, Dehradun, India, pp 294–313

    Google Scholar 

  • Joshi AK, Verma P, Chandra A, Thakur P (2019) Indigenous flora of Western Himalayas. Indian Horticulture 64:50–55

    Google Scholar 

  • Kamath B, Kizhedath S (2019) Invitro antibacterial activity of Cassia fistula Linn methanolic leaf extracts. Int J Basic Clinic Pharmacol 8:270

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karel A, Kumar H, Chowdhary B (2018) Clitoria ternatea L. a miraculous plant. Int J Curr Microbiol Appl Sci 7:672–674

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaur A, Singh S, Chandra P (2011) Evaluation of antioxidant potential of stem bark extract of Dalbergia sissoo. J Pharm Res 4(10):3439–3441

    Google Scholar 

  • Khan Z, Hassanali A, Khamis T, Pickett J, Wadhams L (2001) Mechanisms of Striga hermonthica suppression by Desmodium spp. The BCPC Conference: Weeds 1:895–900

    Google Scholar 

  • Khan F, Dastagir N, Lateef M, Yousuf M, Mirani ZA, Mesaik A, Faizi S, Kazmi SU (2018) Immunomodulatory activities of extracts of Caesalpinia pulcherrima. J Herbs Spices Med Plants. 24(3):245–256

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Khare C (2007) Indigofera pulchella Roxb. in part. In: Khare C (ed) Indian medicinal plants. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-70638-2_787. (Accessed 20 October 2020)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Khare P, Kishore K, Sharma DK (2017) A study on the standardization parameters of Bauhinia variegata. Asian J Pharma Clin Res 10(4):133–136

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kharkwal H, Joshi DD, Kharkwal A, Panthari P (2012) Anti-termite activity of heartwood of Dalbergia sissoo Roxb. Ex.Dc. Asian Pac J Biomed 2(4):1–4

    Google Scholar 

  • Kumar VP, Chauhan NS, Padh H, Rajani M (2006) Search for antibacterial and antifungal agents from selected Indian medicinal plants. J Ethnopharmacol 107(2):182–188

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kumari S (2013) Multipurpose tree Acacia - potential for domestication in India. Indian J Appl Res 3(5):13–22

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lal A, Pant M, Datta A, Palni LMS (2019) In vitro propagation of Rhyncostylis retusa (L.) Blume through immature seed culture. Ecol Environ Cons 26:46–51

    Google Scholar 

  • Grierson S, Lemmens RHMJ, Wulijarni-Soetjipto N (1991) Plant resources of South-East Asia. In: Dye and tannin-producing plants, vol 3. Prosea Foundation, Bogor, p 195

    Google Scholar 

  • Lowry JB, Seebeck J (1997) The potential for tropical agroforestry in wood and animal feed production. RIRDC Publication No. 97/73. Canberra, Australia: Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation

    Google Scholar 

  • Marshall EN, Newton AC, Schreckenberg K (2003) Commercialization of Non-timber Forest Products: First Steps in Analysing the Factors Influencing Success. Int For Rev 5:128–137

    Google Scholar 

  • Mukherjee PK, Kumar V, Kumar NS, Heinrich M (2008) The Ayurvedic medicine Clitoria ternatea-from traditional use to scientific assessment. J Ethnopharmacol 120(3):291–301

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mutai C, Abatis D, Vagias C, Moreau D, Roussakis C, Roussis V (2004) Cytotoxic lupane-type triterpenoids from Acacia mellifera. Phytochemistry 65:1159–1164

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nautiyal S, Kumar R, Husen A (2002) Status of medicinal plants in India: some latest issue. Ann For 10:181–190

    Google Scholar 

  • Ngondya I, Munishi L, Treydte AC, Ndakidemi P (2016) Demonstrative effects of crude extracts of Desmodium spp. to fight against the invasive weed species Tagetes minuta. Acta Ecol Sin 36:113–118

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Orwa C, Mutua A, Kindt R, Jamnadass R, Simons AJ (2009) Agroforestree Database: a tree reference and selection guide version 4.0. World Agroforestry Centre, ICRAF, Nairobi, KE

    Google Scholar 

  • Pal BC, Achari B, Yoshikawa K, Arihara S (1995) Saponins from Albizia lebbeck. Phytochem 38(5):1287–1291

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Parrotta JA (2002) Albizia lebbeck. In: Vozzo JA (ed) Tropical tree seed manual, agriculture handbook, vol 721. USDA Forest Service, Washington, DC, p 899

    Google Scholar 

  • Patel SS, Verma NK, Chatterjee C, Gauthaman K (2010) Screening of Caesalpinia pulcherrima Linn flowers for analgesic and antiinflammatory activities. Int J Appl Res Nat Prod 3(3):1–5

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Paull RE, Duarte O (2012) Tropical fruits, Volume 2. In: Crop production science in horticulture book, vol 24. CABI, Wallingford, p 371

    Google Scholar 

  • Pund KV, Vyawahare NS, Gadakh RT, Murkute VK (2012) Antidiabetic evaluation of Dalbergia sissoo against alloxan induced diabetes mellitus in Wistar albino rats. J Nat Prod Plant Resour 2(1):81–88

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramanujam CGK, Fatima K, Kalpana TP (1993) Nectar and pollen sources for dammer bee (Trigona iridipennis Smith) in Hyderabad (India). Ind Bee J 55(1-2):25–28

    Google Scholar 

  • Rather SA, Subramaniam S, Danda S, Pandey AK (2018) Discovery of two new species of Crotalaria (Leguminosae, Crotalarieae) from Western Ghats, India. PLoS One 13(2):e0192226

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rehman T, Zeb M, Liaqat W, Sajid M, Hussain S, Choudhary MI (2017) Phytochemistry and pharmacology of genus Indigofera: A Review. Rec Nat Prod 12:1–13

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rouamba A, Ouédraogo V, Karama I, Compaoré M, Kiendrebeogo M (2018) Ethno-medicinal use of Crotalaria retusa L. (Fabaceae), a pyrrolizidine alkaloid toxic plant. Int J Biochem Res Rev 23(2):1–6

    Google Scholar 

  • Senthil Kumar M, Sripriya R, Vijaya Raghavan H, Sehgal PK (2006) Wound healing potential of Cassia fistula on infected albino rat model. J Surg Res 131(2):283–289

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shahana S, Nikalje A, Nikalje G (2017) A brief review on Bauhinia variegata: phytochemistry, antidiabetic and antioxidant potential. Am J PharTech Res 7(1):186–197

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sharma V, Rajani GP (2011) Evaluation of Caesalpinia pulcherrima Linn. for anti-inflammatory and antiulcer activities. Indian J Pharmacol 43(2):168–171

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Singh R, Singh B, Singh S, Kumar N, Kumar S, Arora S (2010) Umbelliferone – an antioxidant isolated from Acacia nilotica (L.) Willd. Ex. Del. Food Chem 120:825–830

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Singh R, Bachheti RK, Saraswat S, Singh SK (2012) Assessment of phytochemical and biological potentials of Bauhinia variegata L. Int J Pharm Res 4(1):95–100

    Google Scholar 

  • Staples IB (1992) In: Mannetje L, Jones RM (eds) Clitoria ternatea L. Record from Proseabase. PROSEA (Plant Resources of South-East Asia) Foundation, Bogor, Indonesia

    Google Scholar 

  • Stumpf ERT, Heiden G, Iganci JRV, Barbieri RL, Corrêa LB, Perleberg TD, Romano CM, Fischer SZ, Neitzke RS (2012) Prospecting native ornamental plants in the Brazilian pampa for use in landscaping and floral art. Acta Hortic 937:1161–1166

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thakur P (2012) In: Janakiram TVSR, Prasad KV, Singh KP, Swaroop NK, Jain R (eds) A voyage of discovering myriad eye catching native flowers. Horticulture for Environment and Ecotourism, Delhi Agri-Horticultural Society, New Delhi, pp 89–96

    Google Scholar 

  • Thakur P, Sharma YD (2005) Wild ornamental woody shrubs for various landscape and other uses. In: Chauhan SK, Gill SS, Sharma SC, Chauhan R (eds) Agroforestry in 21st century Agrotech Pub Comp, Udaipur, pp 331–338

    Google Scholar 

  • Thakur P, Sharma YD, Chauhan NS, Dhall SP, Thakur A (2009) Computerized database of important native landscape plant species in Himachal Pradesh, India. Acta Hort 769:407–414

    Google Scholar 

  • Thakur P, Dhiman SR, Gupta YC, Bhardwaj DR, Kashyap B (2011) Peltophorum pterocarpum: a magnificent ornamental tree for mid-hills of Himachal Pradesh. MFP News, Centre of Minor Forest Products (COMFORPTS) for Rural Development & Environmental Conservation (COMFORPTS), Dehra Dun. India 21(2):10–11

    Google Scholar 

  • Tilander Y (1993) Effects of mulching with Azadirachta indica and Albizia lebbeck leaves on the yield of sorghum under semi-arid conditions in Burkina Faso. Agrofor Syst 24(3):277–293

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tiwari P, Jena S, Pk S (2019) Butea monosperma: phytochemistry and pharmacology. Acta Sci Pharm Sci 3(4):19–26

    Google Scholar 

  • Usharani KV, Naik D, Manjunatha RL (2019) Pongamia pinnata (L.): Composition and advantages in agriculture: A review. J Pharmacogn Phytochem 8(3):2181–2187

    Google Scholar 

  • Van der Stege C, Prehsler S, Hartl A, Vogl C (2011) Tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.) in the traditional West African diet: not just a famine food. Fruits 66(3):171–185

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vivek MN, Sachidananda Swamy HC, Manasa M, Pallavi S, Kambar Y, Asha MM, Chaithra M, Prashith Kekuda TR, Mallikarjun N, Onkarappa R (2013) Antimicrobial and Antioxidant activity of leaf and flower extract of Caesalpinia pulcherrima, Delonix regia and Peltaphorum ferrugineum. J Appl Pharma Sci 3(8):064–071

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang Q, Song Z, Chen Y, Si S, Li Z (2014) Leaves and fruits of Bauhinia (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae, Cercideae) from the oligocene ningming formation of guangxi, South China and their biogeographic implications. BMC Evol Biol 14(88):1–16

    Google Scholar 

  • Yadav NK, Saini KS, Hossain Z, Omer A, Sharma C, Gayen JR, Singh P, Arya KR, Singh RK (2015) Saraca indica bark extract shows in vitro antioxidant, antibreast cancer activity and does not exhibit toxicological effects. Oxid Medic Cell Longev 2015:1–15

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Life Sciences, Graphic Era Deemed to be University, Dehradun, India

    Manu Pant

  2. Regional Horticultural Research and Training Station, Dr. Y. S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Dhaulakuan, Distt. Sirmour, H.P., India

    Priyanka Thakur

Authors
  1. Manu Pant
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Priyanka Thakur
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Manu Pant .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Wolaita Sodo University, Wolaita, Ethiopia

    Azamal Husen

  2. Department of Industrial Chemistry, College of Applied Sciences, Addis Ababa Science and Technology University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Rakesh Kumar Bachheti

  3. Department of Environmental Science, Graphic Era University, Dehradun, India

    Archana Bachheti

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Pant, M., Thakur, P. (2021). Forest-based Plants in Beautification and Their Medicinal Significance. In: Husen, A., Bachheti, R.K., Bachheti, A. (eds) Non-Timber Forest Products. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73077-2_16

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation