~AIM~

IDENTIFY TEN PLANT SPECIES HAVING

ECOLOGICAL, ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL
SIGNIFICANCE AS ECOTOURIST

1. NEEM
CLASSIFICATION
KINGDOM-PLANTAE
ORDER-SAPINDALES
FAMILY-MELIACEAE
GENUS-Azadirachta
SPECIES-indica
HABITAT
The neem tree is noted for its drought resistance. Normally it
thrives in areas with sub-arid to sub humid conditions, with
an annual rainfall of 400– 1,200 mm (16–47 in). It can grow
in regions with an annual rainfall below 400 mm, but in
such cases it depends largely on ground water levels. Neem
can grow in many different types of soil, but it thrives best
on well drained deep and sandy soils. It is a typical tropical
to subtropical tree and exists at annual mean temperatures
of 21–32 °C (70–90 °F). It can tolerate high to very high
temperatures and does not tolerate temperature below 5 °C
(41 °F).
MEDICINAL USES
All parts of the neem tree- leaves, flowers, seeds, fruits, roots
and bark have been used traditionally for the treatment of
inflammation, infections, fever, skin diseases and dental
disorders. The medicinal utilities have been described
especially for neem leaf. Neem leaf and its constituents have
been demonstrated to exhibit immunomodulatory, anti-
inflammatory, antihyperglycaemic, antiulcer, antimalarial,
antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant,
antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic properties. This review
summarises the wide range of pharmacological activities of
neem leaf.
CULTURAL USES
The name Nimai ('born under a neem tree'), of the Bhakti
movement Vaishnava saint and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
(believed to be an incarnation of Radha Krishna in Gaudiya
Vaishnavism and ISKCON) is due to his birth under a neem
tree.

In 1995, the European Patent Office (EPO) granted a patent

on an anti-fungal product derived from neem to the United
States Department of Agriculture and W. R. Grace and
Company.[33] The Indian government challenged the
patent when it was granted, claiming that the process for
which the patent had been granted had been in use in India
for more than 2,000 years. In 2000, the EPO ruled in India's
favour, but W. R. Grace appealed, claiming that prior art
about the product had never been published in a scientific
journal. On 8 March 2005, that appeal was lost and the EPO
revoked the Neem patent.
ECONOMIC USES
The name Nimai ('born under a neem tree'), of the Bhakti
movement Vaishnava saint and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
(believed to be an incarnation of Radha Krishna in Gaudiya
Vaishnavism and ISKCON) is due to his birth under a neem
tree.
In 1995, the European Patent Office (EPO) granted a
patent on an anti-fungal product derived from neem to the
United States Department of Agriculture and W. R. Grace
and Company.[33] The Indian government challenged the
patent when it was granted, claiming that the process for
which the patent had been granted had been in use in India
for more than 2,000 years. In 2000, the EPO ruled in India's
favour, but W. R. Grace appealed, claiming that prior art
about the product had never been published in a scientific
journal. On 8 March 2005, that appeal was lost and the EPO
revoked the Neem patent
.2.MANGO

CLASSIFICATION
KINGDOM-PLANTAE
ORDER-SAPINDALES
FAMILY-ANACARDIACEAE
GENUS-Mangifera
SPECIES-indica
HABITAT
The mango is now cultivated in most frost-free tropical and
warmer subtropical climates. It is cultivated extensively in
South Asia, Southeast Asia, East and West Africa, the
tropical and subtropical Americas, and the Caribbean.
Many commercial cultivars are grafted onto the cold-hardy
rootstock of the Gomera-1 mango cultivar, originally from
Cuba. Its root system is well adapted to a coastal
Mediterranean climate.
MEDICINAL USES
Various parts of plant are used as a dentrifrice, antiseptic,
astringent, diaphoretic, stomachic, vermifuge, tonic, laxative
and diuretic and to treat diarrhea, dysentery, anaemia,
asthma, bronchitis, cough, hypertension, insomnia,
rheumatism, toothache, leucorrhoea, haemorrhage and
piles. All parts are used to treat abscesses, broken horn, rabid
dog or jackal bite, tumour, snakebite, stings, datura
poisoning, heat stroke, miscarriage, anthrax, blisters, wounds
in the mouth, tympanitis, colic, diarrhea, glossitis, indigestion,
bacillosis, bloody dysentery, liver disorders, excessive
urination, tetanus and asthma.
ECONOMIC USES
Wood is extensively used for low-cost furniture, floor, ceiling
boards, window frames, heavy packing cases, match splints,
brush backs, oar blades, agricultural implements etc. Also
suitable for tea chest plywood. A hard charcoal of high
calorific value is obtained from mango wood. After
preservative treatment, it can be used as a substitute for
teak as beams, rafters, trusses, and door and window
frames. Suitable for slate frames, ammunition boxes,
bobbins, carving and turnery work.
Mango fruit is one of the delicious fruit of India exported to
many countries. The green unripe fruits are used in curries,
sharbats and pickles.
CULTURAL USES
The mango is the national fruit of India. It is also the
national tree of Bangladesh. In India, harvest and sale of
mangoes is during March–May and this is annually covered
by news agencies. In medieval India, the Indo-Persian poet
Amir Khusrow termed the mango "Naghza Tarin Mewa
Hindustan" – "the fairest fruit of Hindustan." Mangoes were
enjoyed at the court of the Delhi Sultan Alauddin Khijli. The
Mughal Empire was especially fond of the fruits: Babur
praises the mango in his Babarnameh.
3. TURMERIC
CLASSIFICATION
KINGDOM-PLANTAE
ORDER-ZINGIBERALES
FAMILY-ZINGIBERACEAE
GENUS-Curcuma
SPECIES-longa
HABITAT
Turmeric is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant
native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that
requires temperatures between 20 and 30 °C and a
considerable amount of annual rainfall to thrive. Plants are
gathered each year for their rhizomes, some for propagation
in the following season and some for consumption.
MEDICINAL USES
Throughout the Orient, turmeric is traditionally used for
both prevention and therapy of diseases. Modern in vitro
studies reveal that turmeric is a potent antioxidant, anti-
inflammatory, antimutagenic, antimicrobial, and anticancer
agent . Turmeric, used in cooking and in home remedies, has
significant antioxidant abilities at different levels of action.
Studies indicate that sufficient levels of turmeric may be
consumed from curries in vivo to ensure adequate
antioxidant protection. As an antioxidant, turmeric extracts
can scavenge free radicals, increase antioxidant enzymes,
and inhibit lipid peroxidation.
ECONOMIC USES
It is used as a colouring matter for foodstuffs. The yellow dye
obtained from turmeric is used for dyeing cotton, silk, wool,
paper etc.
CULTURAL USES
In Indian culture, the importance of turmeric goes far
beyond medicine. The Hindu religion sees turmeric as
auspicious and sacred. The vibrant yellow natural coloring of
turmeric has also been used to dye clothing and thread for
centuries. Saffron-hued Buddhist robes are dyed with
turmeric. In Kerala, a state in southwest India, children were
given turmeric-dyed clothing to wear during the Onam
festival.
4. INDIAN SANDALWOOD
CLASSIFICATION
KINGDOM-PLANTAE
ORDER-SANTALALES
FAMILY-SANTALACEAE
GENUS-Santalum
SPECIES-album
HABITAT
S. album occurs from coastal dry forests up to 700 metres
(2,300 ft) elevation. It normally grows in sandy or well
drained stony red soils, but a wide range of soil types are
inhabited. This habitat has a temperature range from 0 to
38 °C (32 to 100 °F) and annual rainfall between 500
millimetres (20 in) and 3,000 millimetres (120 in). S. album
can grow up to 9.1 metres (30 ft) vertically. It should be
planted in good sunlight and does not require a lot of water.
CULTURAL USES
Sandalwood is very sacred in the Hindu Ayurveda and is
known in Sanskrit as chandana. The wood is used for
worshipping the deities, and it is said that goddess Lakshmi
lives in the sandalwood tree; therefore, it is also known as
Srigandha. The wood of the tree is made into a paste by
grinding sandalwood against stone slab, and this paste is
integral to rituals and ceremonies, to make religious utensils,
to decorate the icons of the deities, and to calm the mind
during meditation and prayer. It is also distributed to
devotees, who apply it to their foreheads or necks and
chests. Sandalwood paste is used for most pujas both in
temples and home altars performed in private households.
Sandalwood use is an integral part of daily practices of
Jainism. Sandalwood paste mixed with saffron is used to
worship tirthankar Jain deities.
Aboriginal Australians eat the seed kernels, nuts, and fruit of
local sandalwoods, such as the quandong (S. acuminatum).
Early Europeans in Australia used quandong in cooking
damper by infusing it with its leaves, and in making jams,
pies, and chutneys from the fruit.
ECONOMIC USES
Due to its low fluorescence and optimal refractive index,
sandalwood oil is often employed as an immersion oil within
ultraviolet and fluorescence microscopy.
S. album has been the primary source of sandalwood and
the derived oil. These often hold an important place within
the societies of its naturalised distribution range. The central
part of the tree, the heartwood, is the only part of the tree
that is used for its fragrance. Sandalwood oil in India is
widely used in the cosmetic industry.
5. CASHEW
CLASSIFICATION
KINGDOM-PLANTAE
ORDER-SAPINDALES
FAMILY-ANACARDIACEAE
GENUS-Anacardium
SPECIES-occidentale
HABITAT
The cashew tree is cultivated in the tropics between 25°N
and 25°S, and is well-adapted to hot lowland areas with a
pronounced dry season, where the mango and tamarind
trees also thrive. Red sandy loam, lateritic soils and coastal
sands with slightly acidic pH are best for cashew. Cashew is a
tropical plant and can thrive even at high temperatures.
Young plants are sensitive to frost.
ECONOMIC USES
In the Indian state of Goa, the ripened cashew apples are
mashed and the juice is extracted and kept for fermentation
for a few days which is called Neero. Fermented juice then
undergoes a double distillation process. The resulting
beverage is called feni or fenny. Cashew nut oil is a dark
yellow oil derived from pressing the cashew nuts (typically
from lower value broken chunks created accidentally during
processing), and is used for cooking or as a salad dressing.
The highest quality oil is produced from a single cold
pressing. Discarded cashew nuts unfit for human
consumption, alongside the residues of oil extraction from
cashew kernels, can be used to feed livestock. Animals can
also eat the leaves of cashew trees.
CULTURAL USES
Cashews are commonly used in South Asian cuisine, whole
for garnishing sweets or curries, or ground into a paste that
forms a base of sauces for curries (e.g., korma), or some
sweets (e.g., kaju barfi). It is also used in powdered form in
the preparation of several Indian sweets and desserts. In
Goan cuisine, both roasted and raw kernels are used whole
for making curries and sweets. Cashews are also used in Thai
and Chinese cuisines, generally in whole form. In the
Philippines, cashew is a known product of Antipolo, and is
eaten with suman.
6. PEEPAL/FIG
CLASSIFICATION
KINGDOM-PLANTAE
ORDER-ROSALES
FAMILY-MORACEAE
GENUS-Ficus
SPECIES-religiosa
HABITAT
Ficus religiosa suitably grows at altitudes ranging from 10
metres (33 ft) up to 1,520 metres (4,990 ft). Due to the
climatic conditions which are prevalent throughout different
heat zones, it can grow at latitudes ranging from 30°N to
5°S. It can tolerate air a temperature ranging between 0 to
35 °C (32 to 95 °F), beyond this upper limit its growth
diminishes. It grows on a wide variety of soils but preferably
needs deep, alluvial sandy loam with good drainage. It is
also found on shallow soils including rock crevices.
MEDICINAL USES
Ficus religiosa is used in traditional medicine for about fifty
types of disorders including asthma, diabetes, diarrhea,
epilepsy, gastric problems, and inflammatory disorders,
infectious and sexual disorders.
ECONOMIC USES
Farmers in North India also cultivate it for its fig fruit.
The trunk of this tree is used by farmers as a soil leveller.
After seed harvesting, the rectangular trunk is connected to
tractors and levels the soil.
CULTURAL USES
The peepal tree is considered sacred by the followers of
Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. In the Bhagavad Gita,
Krishna says, "I am the Peepal tree among the trees, Narada
among the Deva Rishi (Divine sages), Bhrigu among the
Saptha-Maharishis, Chitraratha among the Gandharvas,
And sage Kapila among the Siddhas.
Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment (bodhi) while
meditating underneath a Ficus religiosa. The site is in
present-day Bodh Gaya in Bihar, India. Sadhus (Hindu
ascetics) meditate beneath sacred fig trees, and Hindus do
pradakshina (circumambulation, or meditative pacing)
around the sacred fig tree as a mark of worship.
7. SAFFRON
CLASSIFICATION
KINGDOM-PLANTAE
ORDER-ASPARAGALES
FAMILY-IRIDACEAE
GENUS-Crocus
SPECIES-sativus
HABITAT
Saffron thrives best in warm sub-tropical climate and can be
grown and can be grown at 2000 meters of mean sea level.
An optimum period of 12 hours sun light is desirable. Low
temperature coupled with high humidity with during
flowering season affects flowering of the saffron crop and
spring rains boost the production of new corms. When it
comes to soil, Saffron grows well in acidic to neutral, gravelly,
loamy and sandy soils.
MEDICINAL USES
Saffron extracts and tinctures have been used for centuries in
traditional medicine for the treatment of different
syndromes and diseases . Some of these uses have been
antispasmodic, eupeptic, sedative, carminative, diaphoretic,
expectorant, stomachic, stimulant, aphrodisiac,
emmenagogue and abortifacient.
ECONOMIC USES
Despite its high cost, saffron has been used as a fabric dye,
particularly in China and India. It is in the long run an
unstable colouring agent; the imparted vibrant orange-
yellow hue quickly fades to a pale and creamy yellow.
In Europe saffron threads were a key component of an
aromatic oil known as crocinum, which comprised such
motley ingredients as alkanet, dragon's blood (for colour),
and wine (again for colour). Crocinum was applied as a
perfume to hair. Another preparation involved mixing
saffron with wine to produce a viscous yellow spray; it was
copiously applied in sudoriferously sunny Roman
amphitheatres—as an air freshener.
CULTURAL USES
Saffron features in European, North African, and Asian
cuisines. Its aroma is described by taste experts as resembling
that of honey, with woody, hay-like, and earthy notes;
according to another such assessment, it tastes of hay, but
only with bitter hints. Because it imparts a luminous yellow-
orange hue, it is used worldwide in everything from cheeses,
confectioneries, and liquors to baked goods, curries, meat
dishes, and soups. In past eras, many dishes called for
prohibitively copious amounts—hardly for taste, but to
parade their wealth.
8. INDIAN MAHOGANY
CLASSIFICATION
KINGDOM-PLANTAE
ORDER-SAPINDALES
FAMILY-MELIACEAE
GENUS-Swetenia
SPECIES-mahagoni
HABITAT
Mahogany will grow in full sun or partial shade on a wide
range of soil types, and is quite resistant to salt spray. Plants
will respond with rapid growth to rich, well-drained soil and
regular fertilizing. Trees often develop several upright
multiple leaders which significantly reduces the wind and
storm tolerance of any tree, including mahogany.
ECONOMIC USES
Mahogany has a straight, fine, and even grain, and is
relatively free of voids and pockets. Its reddish-brown color
darkens over time, and displays a reddish sheen when
polished. It has excellent workability, and is very durable.
Historically, the tree's girth allowed for wide boards from
traditional mahogany species. These properties make it a
favorable wood for crafting cabinets and furniture.
Much of the first-quality furniture made in the American
colonies from the mid 18th century was made of mahogany,
when the wood first became available to American
craftsmen. Mahogany is still widely used for fine furniture;
however, the rarity of Cuban mahogany, the over-
harvesting of Honduras and Brazilian mahogany, and the
protests by indigenous peoples and environmental
organizations from the 1980s into the 2000s, has diminished
their use.
Mahogany also resists wood rot, making it attractive in boat
construction and outdoor decking. It is a tonewood, often
used for musical instruments, particularly the backs, sides
and necks of acoustic guitars, electric guitar bodies, and
drum shells because of its ability to produce a very deep,
warm tone compared to other commonly used woods, such
as maple, alder, ash (Fraxinus) or spruce.
9. TULSI
CLASSIFICATION
KINGDOM-PLANTAE
ORDER-LAMIALES
FAMILY-LAMIACEAE
GENUS-Ocimum
SPECIES-Tenuiflorum
HABITAT
Basil is native to tropical regions from Central Africa to
Southeast Asia. In temperate climates basil is treated as an
annual plant, however, basil can be grown as a short-lived
perennial or biennial in warmer horticultural zones with
tropical or Mediterranean climates.
MEDICINAL USES
Tulsi (Sanskrit: Surasa) has been used in Ayurvedic and
Siddha practices for its supposed treatment of diseases.
For centuries, the dried leaves have been mixed with stored
grains to repel insects. The essential oil may have nematicidal
properties against Tylenchulus semipenetrans, Meloidogyne
javanica, Anguina tritici, and Heterodera cajani.
CULTURAL USES
Tulsi is a sacred plant for Hindus, particularly the
Vaishnavite sect. It is worshipped as the avatar of Lakshmi,
and may be planted in courtyards of Hindu houses or
Hanuman temples. The ritual lighting of lamps each evening
during Kartik includes the worship of the tulsi plant.
Vaishnavas followers of Vishnu are known as "those who
bear the tulsi around the neck".
Every evening, Bengali Hindus place earthen lamps in front
of tulsi plants. During the Kati Bihu festival celebrated in
Assam, people light earthen lamps (diya) at the foot of the
household tulsi plants and pray.

Tulsi Vivah is a ceremonial festival performed between

Prabodhini Ekadashi (the 11th or 12th lunar day of the bright
fortnight of the Hindu month of Kartik) and Kartik Purnima
(the full moon of the month).
10. CHIR PINE
CLASSIFICATION
KINGDOM-PLANTAE
DIVISION-PINOPHYTA
CLASS-PINOPSIDA
ORDER-PINALES
FAMILY-PINACEAE
GENUS-Pinus
SPECIES-roxburghii
HABITAT
Owing to its shallow roots it is attributed to soil erosion,
particularly in the Himalayas. It does not allow any
vegetation to grow around it by making soil more acidic
through its fallen needles. Usually, the accumulating carpet
of needles on the forest floor under these trees makes
conditions unfavourable for many common plants and trees
to grow.
MEDICINAL USES
It is useful in eye, ear, and pharynx diseases, foul ulcers,
haemorrhages, haemoptysis, worn infections, flatulence, liver
diseases, bronchitis, inflammations, skin diseases, pruritus,
and giddiness.
ECONOMIC USES
Chir pine is widely planted for timber in its native area,
being one of the most important trees in forestry in northern
Pakistan, India and Nepal. Every autumn, the dried needles
of this tree form a dense carpet on the forest floor, which the
locals gather in large bundles to serve as bedding for their
cattle, for the year round. The green needles are also used to
make tiny hand brooms.
It is also occasionally used as an ornamental tree, planted in
parks and gardens in hot dry areas, where its heat and
drought tolerance is valued.