Seleção de espécies medicinais para composição paisagística no campus da UFSM de Palmeira das Missões, RS

Abstract

Landscaping provides countless benefits to users, such as encouraging interaction between people, increasing the pleasantness of the space, being the only artistic expression in which the five senses of human beings participate. In this way, one should think, for ornamentation in landscaping, of introducing species with different functions, such as medicinal ones. However, the use of medicinal plants in public landscaping projects is uncommon, yet these offer immense potential. This work sought to identify, select and morphologically characterize medicinal species with potential for landscape composition for use on the campus of the Federal University of Santa Maria – UFSM – Palmeira das Missões, RS, in addition to suggesting the demarcation of ornamental beds in an area of the UFSM/ PM Campus, proposing combinations of medicinal plants for composition in the beds as a way to stimulate the well-being of the academic community and approximation with nature. For the selection of medicinal species, we used, as a consultation, Ordinance 588/2017 of the State Department of Health/RS and two booklets, thus seeking the medicinal species best known and used by the gauchos, respecting the cultural values of the region and preference is given to medicinal natives, although a selection of exotics has been used. Despite the importance of using native species in the composition of landscapes, their use is often unfeasible, despite being ornamental, the market does not produce them, unlike the naturalized exotic medicines that are easy to find in the market in the form of seedlings. However, research shows that native plants have great commercialization and production potential. Still, even though native medicines are easy to adapt, we have to consider the place where they were originally inserted. It is necessary to carry out more research on the feasibility of these native medicines outside their natural space, for example, the macela, despite being the medicinal plant that is the symbol of Rio Grande do Sul and having ornamental characteristics, was disregarded in this work, as it is an annual herb, its planting must be renewed every year, demanding extra care and maintenance. From this overview, three tables were structured: one of them with Native medicinal plants of popular use in Rio Grande do Sul; another, Exotic, naturalized and cultivated medicinal plants most used by the population of Rio Grande do Sul and, finally, a third table with the Selection of species as a suggestion for the landscape composition on the UFSM PM campus. Therefore, the study can contribute to encourage the use of medicinal plants in landscaping projects, as well as arouse the interest of professionals in the areas of landscaping for the possibility of using them in landscaping, as they have ornamental potential.