Ecological and Medicinal Value of Some Milkweed Plants

Author(s)

Yashwant, R., Davendra, K., Neeru, T.

Author's Affiliation

Abstract

Some milkweed plant species threatened due to habitat destruction, urbanization, and forest fire, environment changing and biotic factors. Birds, Reptiles, Butterflies, and other insects are dependent on milkweed plants. Butterflies, moths, bees, and wasps and more visit milkweeds for pollen and/or nectar. These multi-species relationships are all part of the milkweed ecosystem. The present study, based on ecological and medicinal value of some milkweed plants in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh. The ecological and medicinal studies were carried out between March 2011 and July 2014. This study recorded 7milkweed species included Calotropis gigantea, Calotropis procera, Leptadenia pyrotechnica, Pergularia daemia, Asclepias incarnate, Asclepias curassavica, Oxystelma esculentum belongs to family Asclepiadaceae and milkweed plants associated 13 species included  the sunbird (Cinnyris asiaticus) family Nectarinidae, carpenter bees (Xylocopa violacea, Xylocopa aestuans, Xylocopa caerulea) family  Apidae, monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus ) family Nymphalidae,  monarch caterpillar larva, honey bee (Apis dorsata) family  Apidae, black ant (Camponotus species) family Formicidae, girgit (Calotes versicolor ) family Chamaeleonidae, spider ( Oxyopes shweta) family Oxyopidae, boxelder bug (Boisea trivittata) family Rhopalidae, milkweed beetle (Tetraopes tetrophthalmus), family Ceranbycidae, mantis family Mantidae, Contact  by local people and traditional vaidhya, having experience based on herbal drugs. These plants were collected in Department of Botan It is concluded that the aim of the present study is to spread awareness towards the conservation of the milkweeds in India. The study will be benefited to waste soil improvement, biodiversity conservation and mankind.

Keywords

Milkweeds, Birds, Monarch butterfly, Xylocopa, Medicinal value, Conservation

Cite This Article

Yashwant, R., Davendra, K., Neeru, T. (2018). Ecological and Medicinal Value of Some Milkweed Plants. International Journal for Pharmaceutical Research Scholars (IJPRS), 4(1), 339-348.