This explorative study was undertaken for the first time in Kel village located in the Upper Neelum Valley, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. The purpose was to document the indigenous knowledge of the native people used in the preparation of herbal medicines. To get the data on traditional uses of medicinal plants, 20 informants were interviewed. Quantitative ethnobotanical indices, i.e., use value (UV), relative frequencies of citation (RFC), informant consensus factor (Fic), fidelity level (FL), data matrix ranking (DMR), preference ranking (PR), and jaccard index (JI), were calculated for the recorded medicinal plants. A total of 50 medicinal plants belonging to 33 families used in 13 disease categories were documented. Leaves were the frequently used plant parts, and decoction was the commonly used method for herbal medicine. Plants with high use value were Berberis lycium (2.05), Impatiens glandulifera (1.95), Artemisia scoparia (1.75), Ageratum conozoides (1.75), and Achillea millefolium (1.7). The highest RFC value was calculated for Berberis lycium (0.75), Cynoglossum lanceolatum (0.65), and Impatiens glandulifera and Achillea millefolium (0.60 each). The maximum informant consensus factor was for urinary system, cardiac diseases, baldness, and abortion and miscarriage (1.00). Berberis lyceum (95%) used in jaundice, hepatitis, typhoid, fever, and tuberculosis disorders. Plants with maximum fidelity level (FL) were Berberis lycium (95%) followed by Dioscorea bulbifera, Impatiens glandulifera, and Artemisia vulgaris (90%). Olea ferruginea was the most multipurpose plant and exports (21.2%) was the leading threat in the area. The pearson correlation coefficient (0.500) showed a positive correlation between the use value and relative frequency of citation. The present study provides useful information about traditional uses of medicinal plants used by local communities in different ailments. The plants with the highest use values could be employed in pharmacological research and biotechnological approaches in order to achieve adequate revenue. Some of the plants in the study area are facing high threats of becoming rare, and conservation initiatives are needed to conserve them for sustainable management in the region.

Fifteen populations of Calotropis procera (Aiton) W.T. Aiton (milkweed) were collected from ecologically different regions of Punjab to evaluate anatomical traits that contribute to the ecological success of this plant in heterogeneous environmental regimes. Structural features relating to stems and leaves showed phenotypic variation. Xeromorphy was high in the desert population possessing thick cuticle and surface hairiness, enhanced xylem vessels, phloem area and deposition of storage parenchymatous tissues (cortex and pith) in the stem and leaves. The population from salt-affected areas showed increased inner phloem area and pubescence in stems, whereas lamina thickness and xylem vessels were greatly enlarged in leaves. The population from mountainous ranges showed the maximum stem area, outer phloem area, cuticle thickness and epidermal cell area. The population along riverbanks showed some prominent features like enlarged bundles of sclerenchyma fibers, and enhanced midrib thickness, cuticle thickness and inner phloem area. The population from the artificial forest plantation had a prominent layer of collenchyma developed under the epidermis, thick lamina and widened xylem vessels. The population from roadsides possessed thick cuticles and enlarged xylem vessels in leaves; in addition, a great proportion of trichomes/hairiness was found on the stem surface. Leaf succulence was the prominent feature of the population adapted to desert and dry mountains. All of these features possibly contribute to C. procera adaptability in a variety of habitats, i.e., desert and semi-desert, salt-affected areas, dry mountains, river/canal banks, roadside and forest plantations, and others.