Ethnobotanical Resources of Manikhel Forests, Orakzai Tirah, Pakistan

Manikhel forests, the far southern extension of Hindu Kush Mountain ranges, exhibit rich floral diversity in its nearly 175 Km2 area. It comprises sub-tropical semi deciduous thorny forests in the southern low lying Mediterranean type of climate and evergreen Oak-Yew forests in the northern faces of the Himalayan type of climate. A wide variety of plants are present in the area but this paper includes only those species whose common use is either known locally or they are in daily use for various purposes. The present investigations comprise 172 plant species belonging to 80 families. Bulk of these plants exhibit multiple uses. The local population is entirely rural and poor. They are primarily dependent on the forest resources for their necessities.