The importance of indigenous species with medicinal properties in promoting the biodiversity of traditional agricultural systems is widely recognized. Species composition and richness in cultivated medicinal and aromatic plants were studied in different areas of Iran. Results of present study showed that 54 species of medicinal and aromatic plants with a Shannon index of 0.64 were cultivated in Iran. Lamiaceae with 8 species and Asteraceae with 7 species were amongst the highest ranking plant families. The ratio of cultivated medicinal and aromatic species to the total area of cultivated lands was 0.87, of which Khorasan province showed the highest ratio and diversity amongst the all provinces studied.

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