Abstract

Saudi Arabia has a unique floral diversity due to its remarkable diversity in the ecological habitats. Many plant species are widely applied in traditional medicine to treat several diseases. In the present study, ethnobotanical survey of plant species in Tabuk Region (Saudi Arabia) was carried out describing their uses in treating skin diseases. The results showed that a total of 51 plants species belonging to 40 genera and 28 families were reported. The richest families terms of number of species were Asteraceae, Boraginaceae and Chenopodiaceae (4 species, 7.84% for each) followed by Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae and Zygophlyllaceae (3 species, 5.88% for each). Most of the plant species collected in this study are in the life form of herbs and shrubs and comprise 74% of the plant species. On the other hand, the most frequent plant parts used to treat skin diseases are whole plant (51%) and leaf (24%). The flora diversity in Tabuk Region is obviously threatened by anthropogenic activities and the public authorities should start thinking seriously about the conservation of these important natural resources.

Key words: Flora, medicinal plants, Skin diseases, Tayma, Tabuk region, Saudi Arabia.