Much of the Brazilian semiarid region is in advanced stage of degradation, and few studies direct their development in line with this reality. In this work, we carried out an ethnobotanical survey comprising 256 families. The survey aimed to identify the species used in traditional medicine by the population of the municipality of Monteiro, Paraiba state. A floristic inventory of all species was conducted in a forest fragment with 30 years of conservation in order to identify the availability of the species that are most used by the local population. Thirty-eight species were identified in the ethnobotanical survey and 37 in the forest fragment; of these, 14 were common to both groups. Myracrodruon urundeuva, Sideroxylon obtusifolium, Amburana cearensis Triplaris gardneriana, Anadenanthera colubrina, Hymenaea courbaril, and Bauhinia cheilantha were identified as the most potential species for research on phytochemicals.
floristic richness; ethnobotany; phytotherapics