Flowering Medicinal Plants in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is a country full of biodiversity which is gifted with many plant resources. It has a rich history of traditional medicine systems consisting of Ayurveda, Unani, and Deshiya Chikitsa, where these plant resources are used as remedies for the diseases. In the traditional medicine system, various plant parts such as leaves, roots, fruits, flowers, and bark are used to treat disease conditions. Although less attention is paid to the flowering medicinal plants, to be popularized as a branch of floriculture. This publication amply highlights such concerns. Overall, major emphasis has been laid on the effective and efficient utilization of these flowering medicinal species mainly grown by native communities, often in home gardens and marginal lands, distributed in forests towards commercial floriculture targeting poverty alleviation and income generation. this well synthesized account will generate further interest on research and development of ornamental medicinal species for widening our ornamental plant selection in the country targeting export market and product assortment of floriculture industry.