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Abstract

Spatial and temporal patterns of vegetation change are influenced by multiple factors, including the physical environment, land-use history, prior disturbance, and initial vegetation composition. The primary aim of this study was to understand floristic vegetation features, species diversity, and the classification of plant communities in Village Karri Haider, District Tank, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Samples were collected from each transect using quadrats of 1 m × 1 m for herbs. Soil from three quadrats was mixed to make composite samples, and soil elements were quantified through laboratory analyses. Two surveys were conducted from July to December, 2023. In the first survey, 25 plant species from 59 quadrats (four transects) belonging to 15 families were recorded; and in the second survey, 35 species from 41 quadrats (three transects) belonging to 19 families were recorded. The results of the diversity indices for both of the surveys revealed distinct structural dimensions of the herbaceous vegetation across the sampled quadrats. Two-Way Indicator Species Analysis by WinTWINS classified plant species from the first survey into four communities and from the second survey into four communities. Principal Component Analysis by CANOCO 5 supported these results, grouping the species into four plant communities on ordination diagrams for each survey. Indicator species from all transects included Parthenium hysterophorus, Withania somnifera, Calotropis procera, Euphorbia helioscopia, Anagallis arvensis, Chenopodium murale, and Convolvulus arvensis. The ecological analysis established in this research provides a baseline for the conservation and sustainable management of medicinal plants in the region.

Article History

Received: Oct 13, 2025; Accepted: Sep 24, 2026; Published: Sep 30, 2026

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