Wild edible plants traditionally used by the tribes in the Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala, India.
Yesodharan K., Sujana K. A.
Author Affiliation: Division of Forest Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation, Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi - 680 653, Thrissur, Kerala, India.
Natural Product Radiance 6 : 74-80
Abstract : This paper reports an ethnobotanical investigation performed during 2003 and 2005 to collect, identify and document information on the wild food plants traditionally used by the tribes in the Parambikulan Wildlife Sanctuary in Palakkad district of Kerala state, India. Eighty-three species are used by the tribes as vegetables, wild fruits, beverages or in other preparations. Wild vegetables formed the largest group which included roots, tubers, young leaves and buds, inflorescence, unripe/ripe fruits and seeds. Analysis of the information revealed that out of 83 species, 82 belongs to angiosperms (63 dicot and 19 monocot) and one species belongs to gymnosperms. Among them, 30 species are used as leafy vegetables, 31 species for fruits, 16 species for seeds and 10 species as food in the form of rhizomes/tubers/corms and 6 plants as food from stem/shoot. Amaranthus spinosus, Centella asiatica, Euphorbia hirta, Oxalis corniculata and Mollugo pentaphylla are used by tribals more extensively. Among the wild fruits, consumption of jackfruit and mango is more common. Vigna vexillata and Ensete superbum are used for suppressing hunger. Many wild food plants are also used for medicinal purposes, e.g. Amorphophallus paeonifolius, Boerhaavia [Boerhavia] chinensis and Ensete superbum.