LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION
The global flora comprises between 2,500 and 3,000 species of essential oil-bearing plants. In the flora of the former USSR, approximately 1,100 to 1,300 species of essential oil-bearing plants, representing 77 families, have been identified. The primary families containing the largest numbers of essential oil-bearing plants are Lamiaceae Martinov, Apiaceae Lindl., and Asteraceae Berght & J.Presl. The global assortment of major essential oil-bearing plants is relatively limited, consisting of about 30–40 species. Among the most important are the following genera: *Citrus*, *Eucalyptus*, *Abies*, *Anethum*, *Lavandula*, *Mentha*, *Thymus*, *Carum*, *Coriandrum*, *Foeniculum*, *Salvia*, *Juniperus*, *Rosa*, *Rosmarinus*, *Pinus*, *Ocimum*, *Artemisia*, *Geranium*, *Acorus*, *Pimpinella*, *Nepeta*, *Monarda*, *Laurus*, *Lophanthus*, *Iris*, and others (Tkachenko, 2011). The flora of Uzbekistan is rich in species of economic and practical importance; among them, 650 species are classified as essential oil-bearing plants. Taxonomic analysis has shown that the distribution of these species across families does not follow a specific, uniform pattern. The species richest in essential oils primarily belong to the families Apiaceae (119 species across 57 genera), Lamiaceae (88 species across 29 genera), Asteraceae (65 species across 26 genera), Brassicaceae (46 species across 33 genera), Rosaceae (35 species across 25 genera), Liliaceae (29 species across 7 genera), and Fabaceae (24 species across 10 genera). In terms of species diversity, the leading genera include *Allium* L. (18 species), *Artemisia* L. (17), *Ferula* L. and *Salvia* L. (15 species each), *Nepeta* L. (9), *Scutellaria* L. (8), and *Prangos* Lindl., *Bunium* L., *Dracocephalum* L., *Phlomoides* Moench, *Ziziphora* L., *Rosa* L., *Haplophyllum* Juss., and *Viola* L. (7 species each). The distinctiveness of Uzbekistan's flora is also reflected in the number of endemic essential-oil-bearing plants; geobotanical and resource studies have identified 39 endemic species and 15 species with restricted distribution ranges. These identified essential-oil-bearing plants represent various ecobiomorphs, with perennial herbs predominating—accounting for 368 species (56.6%). The proportions of biennial and annual herbs are lower, comprising 40 and 107 species (6.1% and 16.5%), respectively. Tree and shrub forms are distributed as follows: 45 species of trees (7.0%), 54 species of shrubs (8.3%), 24 species of semi-shrubs (3.7%), and 12 species of dwarf semi-shrubs (1.8%) (Khojimatov, 1999).
