الفهرس 
LITERATURE REVIEWOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
The present work provides a study of the floristic associates and ecological features of four medicinal plants Euphorbia paralias L., Glebionis coronaria (L.) Tzvelev, Lepidium draba L. and Phlomis floccosa D. Don. in the Western Mediterranean Coast of Egypt as well as an evaluation of their phytochemical profile, essential oils and biological activity (antioxidant and antibacterial activity).The present study was carried out to achieve the following objectives:1)Define the spatial distribution of four medicinal plants Euphorbia paralias L., Glebionis coronaria (L.) Tzvelev, Lepidium draba L. and Phlomis floccosa D. Don. in the Western Mediterranean Coast of Egypt 2)Quantitative analysis of four target species and their associates in the study area using multivariate analysis (classification and ordination). 3)Analysis of variations in soil factors to determine the effective factors controlling the abundance and distribution of target species and their associates in the study area.4)Evaluation of some phytochemical compounds of four target plants by analyzing:a)Secondary metabolites b)Essential oils by GC-MS assay 5)Evaluation of biological activity by assessing:i)Antioxidant activities by DPPH scavenging activity ii)antibacterial potentialities against nine pathogenic isolates The target plants and their associated plant species included 53 species and related to 21 families. Asteraceae, Poaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Brassicaceae, and Fabaceae were the largest families, which contributed together about 62.3% of the total number of recorded plant species in the study area.According to the life - span, the recorded species included 27 annuals (50.94%), 24 perennials (45.28%), and two biennials (3.77%). The life-form spectrum of the 53 surveyed species included 29 therophytes (54.72%), 13 hemicryptophytes (24.53%), five cryptophytes (9.43%), three each for chamaephytes, and phanerophytes (5.66% each).The floristic categories of the recorded species revealed that, the Mediterranean taxa are represented by relatively high percentage of plant species (46%), followed by Irano-Turanian taxa (21%), Saharo-Sindian taxa (19%), and then by Euro-Siberian taxa (7%), while the other floristic categories are poorly represented, as they comprise a few numbers of species.The application of TWINSPAN classification based on the importance values of 53 species recorded in 30 sampled stands in the study area led to the recognition of three vegetation groups or community types, labeled A, B and C. The vegetation groups were named according to the 1st dominant species with the highest importance value in each group as follows: group (A): Fagonia cretica, group (B): Ononis serrata and group (C): Euphorbia paralias.The Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) ordination plot of the 30 stands on axes 1 and 2 revealed that, the vegetation groups obtained by TWINSPAN classification were distinctly distinguishable and had a clear pattern of segregation on the ordination planes. Results of the CCA-biplot of characteristic species and soil variables indicated that, soil factors especially clay, pH, sodium, chloride, EC and potassium were the leading variables in the study area and the most effective soil variables affecting the distribution and abundance of the surveyed species.Concerning the phytochemical analysis, the aqueous (water) extract of the studied species showed the highest content of phenolic, alkaloids and saponins in the order of P. floccose > G. coronaria > L. draba > E. paralias. On the other side, the water extract of the studied species showed the highest content of flavonoids and tannins in the order of G. coronaria > P. floccose > L. draba > E. paralias.Regarding the methanol extract of the studied species, it showed the highest content of phenolic, tannins, alkaloids and saponins in the order of G. coronaria > P. floccose > L. draba > E. paralias. Meanwhile, the methanol extract of the studied species, it showed the highest content of flavonoids in the order of P. floccose > G. coronaria > L. draba > E. paralias.