Patterns of diversity of medicinal shrubs in the Monte desert in the Calchaquí Valleys (Tucumán, Argentina)

BARRERA MARÍA CELESTE; PEDRAZA KOBAK, CAMILA; CORREA URIBURU, FLORENCIA; CUELLO, SOLEDAD; PEREA, MARÍA CRISTINA; TORRES, SEBASTIÁN; ZAMPINI, IRIS CATIANA; ISLA, MARÍA INÉS; ROSA, MARIANA

Lilloa

Fundación Miguel Lillo

Año: 2025

In recent times, the population abundance of many of the native medicinal plant species in the Monte Desert in northwestern Argentina hasbeen declining due to agricultural expansion, overgrazing, urbanization, increasing levels of harvesting, and changes in climatic conditions.Therefore, quantitative data on these species is necessary to designstrategies that allow their conservation and sustainable use. This studyaimed to determine the diversity patterns of some medicinal shrub species in a portion of the mountainous desert of the Calchaquí Valleys(Tucumán, Argentina). Throughout a standardized protocol, the plantcommunities from four localities (two sampling sites for each locality, S1and S2) were surveyed (Ampimpa, Tío Punco, Fuerte Quemado, and LosPoleos). Relative density, relative frequency, dominance, and the speciesimportance value index (IVI) were calculated to determine the overallspecies performance and dominance. Of the species identified, twelveare popularly used as medicinal. Austroflourensia fiebrigii, Pentaphorusglutinosus, Larrea cuneifolia, and Zuccagnia punctata, four medicinalplant species, were dominant in Ampimpa S1. Larrea cuneifolia, Larreadivaricata, and Z. punctata are within the medicinal plant species withthe highest IVI. These plant species are used as anti-inflammatory, antirheumatic, antitumoral and to treat fungal and bacterial infections.Our study seeks to provide a significant foundation for documentingfuture changes in these plant communities and to promote conservationstrategies and multiplication of them in situ.