Floristic diversity of ethnomedicinally important Artemisia species in Pakistan: An extensive overview of their distribution across regions, native status and global conservation concerns

Abstract

Background: Pakistan is recognized for its rich diversity of medicinal plants, with the genus Artemisia representing an ecologically and ethnobotanically important component of the flora. This review synthesizes information on distribution of reported Artemisia species across Pakistan with emphasis on their native status and conservation concerns.

Methods: The data for this review was systematically searched across various reputable scientific databases, including Web of Science, Scopus, MEDLINE and ScienceDirect using specific keywords.

Results: Earlier floristic treatments, including the Flora of Pakistan, documented 38 Artemisia species from various regions. The present compilation records a total of 66 species, reflecting a substantial increase in documented diversity from Pakistan. Growth-form analysis shows that herbaceous taxa dominate the genus in Pakistan (34 species), followed by shrubs (15 species). Most species are perennial (48 species), while annuals constitute a smaller fraction (6 species) with a few species exhibiting biennial or mixed life cycles. According to Plants of the World Online (POWO), Artemisia species in Pakistan occur primarily in temperate, subalpine, subtropical and desert habitats indicating broad ecological adaptability across altitudinal and climatic gradients. Of the 66 species recorded, 45 are mentioned as native to Pakistan, whereas the native status of 21 species remains unclear. The Flora of Pakistan and POWO revealed 38 species listed in both but only 31 species are consistently shared, highlighting taxonomic inconsistencies. Conservation assessments are notably limited, with only 13 species (20%) evaluated at the global level.

Conclusion: The increase in reported species from 38 to 66 in Pakistan may reflect improved taxonomic resolution, expand geographic surveys and increased ethnobotanical research and may or may not be an expansion of the genus in Pakistan. To confirm this, future studies should prioritize underexplored regions resolve taxonomic ambiguities and integrate molecular and ecological approaches to better understand the diversity, conservation needs and expansion of the genus Artemisia in Pakistan.

Keywords: Artemisia, Ethnomedicinal significance, Distribution, Habitat, Native status, Global conservation status, Pakistan