Antibacterial Activity of Floral Petals of Some Angiosperms

The in vitro antibacterial assay was carried out against both Gram positive (B. cerus and S. aureus) and Gram negative (E. coli and K. pneumoniae) bacteria. Floral petals of 20 different species of plants were collected and tested for antibacterial activity. The result showed that the petals were active against both Gram positive and Gram negative. Out of 20 floral petals tested, 19 floral petals exhibited antibacterial activity against selected bacterial strains. The minimal inhibitory zone of floral petal discs against human pathogenic bacteria varies from 2 – 6 mm. Rosa carolina and Ruellia tuberosa showed significance inhibition zone for all the bacterial strains while Lantana camara does not show inhibition zone for any of these pathogenic bacteria.