Study on Medicinal Plant Resources and Their Diversity in Puzhehei, Yunnan

A combination of field investigations and literature reviews was adopted to conduct a systematic study on the wild medicinal plant resources in Puzhehei, Yunnan, covering aspects such as species composition, floristic composition, life forms, national key protected and rare endangered plants, medicinal parts, medicinal flavors, and efficacy classifications. The results showed that there are 732 species of medicinal plants in Puzhehei, belonging to 499 genera and 148 families. Among them, angiosperms (681 species) dominate absolutely, accounting for 93.03% of the total species. Oligotypic families and monotypic genera have the highest proportions, accounting for 58.79% of the total families and 74.95% of the total genera respectively. The floristic composition is complex and diverse, with the interpenetration and integration of tropical and temperate distribution types. Tropical elements at both family and genus levels account for more than 55%, highlighting a strong tropical floristic nature. The area is rich in rare and endangered protected plants, including 66 species belonging to 56 genera and 40 families of national key protected and rare endangered plants. Herbaceous plants are the dominant life form, accounting for 55%. According to the classification of medicinal parts, whole-plant medicinal plants are the most numerous. In terms of medicinal flavors, bitter-tasting medicinal plants reach 306 species, ranking first among all flavor types. Based on efficacy classification, heat-clearing medicines are the most abundant, with 356 species. Puzhehei is endowed with abundant medicinal plant resources and a relatively large number of national key protected and rare endangered plants, possessing high development and utilization value. It is recommended to strengthen the protection of wild medicinal plant resources and their original habitats, standardize the cultivation techniques of Chinese medicinal materials, and establish an integrated industrial chain covering planting, harvesting, processing, storage, and transportation. Meanwhile, integrate Fuxi-Shennong culture to develop new models of health preservation, cultural and tourism under the background of local characteristic traditional Chinese medicine culture.