Phytochemical analysis of some selected plants and families in the university botanic garden Of Maseno, Kenya

Abstract

There has scarcely been any attempt to carry out phytochemical analysis on various insitu and ex situ plants conserved at the University Botanic Garden and no research has been done to document the educational and economic values of the garden. Moreover, the rate at which the plant biodiversity is being cleared is alarming, and calls for urgent need of conserving plants of high economic values. It is on the basis of such need that the study was carried out at the University Botanic Garden, Maseno (UBGM). The study was carried out over a period of eleven months. The main objective of the study was to identify and provide checklist of plants conserved at the University Botanic Garden, Maseno. Phytochemical screening of five medicinal plant extracts in each of the ten selected plant families was done using various reagents and it revealed that saponins were the most abundant phytochemicals constituting 32.43%, followed by alkaloids (27.03 %) then flavonoids (14.86 %), steroids (12.16%), terpenes (10.81 %) and anthraquinones (2.70 %) respectively. The data collected was presented using tables. Chi-square analysis at P≤0.05 reveals that plant families in which the plants are grouped are dependent on the phytochemicals present in plants. Therefore, there is relationship between the phytochemical obtained from plant and family classification of the plant in question. The information collected through annotated checklist will be used to provide database of vascular plants of high economic value found within the University Botanic Garden, provide information on phytochemicals present in some medicinal plants and hence need for sustainable biodiversity conservation. The knowledge of such medicinal plants will provide vital information to the local community members who still rely on herbal medicine for the treatment of most diseases. LESS