Plant abundance soil relationship of three annual medicinal plants in the Kingdom of Bahrain (Bahrain IsIand)‎

Abstract EN

The annual plants Aizoon canariense L., Asphodelus tenuifolius Cav., and Emex spinosa Campd.

are used In fractional medicine in Bahrain, Arabian Peninsula, and many of the west Asian counfries.

They are sometimes considered as weeds in United States, Australia, and South Africa.

Their importance as remedies is evidenced by the many medicinal uses in various body aliments.

Medicinal uses include indigestion, reduction of blood pressure, piles and constipation, purgative, and labor inducer.

Accordingly, they could be sources of active ingredients in pharmaceutical industry.

Understanding the ecology and distribution of these species could be useful in any cultivation activities or conservation efforts.

Therefore, this study tried to determine the soil factors that affect their distribution and abundance.

Multivariate analyses and Principal Component Analysis were used to test for the statistical relationships.

Asphodelus tenuifolius was found predominantly in the desert sandy habitat, while Aizoon canariense and Emex spinosa were found in both desert and agriculture habitats.

Specific soil factors including calcium carbonate (CaC03), electrical conductivity (EC), sand, and silt were shown to affect the abundance of the three species.