Khanal et al (1).pdf

Journal of Institute of Science and Technology, 2013, 18(2): 93-97, © Institute of Science and Technology, T.U. Some Wild Plants and their Local Use in Mid Hill Region of Nepal Rajib Khanal1, Chandra P. Pokhrel2 and Ram Kailash P. Yadav2 School of Natural Resources and Bio Environment (P.) Ltd., Kathmandu 2 Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu 1 ABSTRACT The people of mid hill Nepal are very close to nature and forests which are one of the important resources in this region. The study of wild plants of this region is an attempt to highlight the fruits, vegetables and medicinal plants; and their use by the local people. The study was conducted in two VDCs viz. Siddeshwor of Palpa and Hastichaur of Gulmi districts. A total of 81 plant species were recorded to be used frequently by the people of this region. Major families representing the plant species commonly used by the local people are Rosaceae, Moraceae, Leguminosae, Combretaceae etc. Key words: Wild plants, local use, traditional knowledge, mid hill region, Palpa, Gulmi. particular, the mid hill region is rich in natural resources among which the plant resources are key to the local inhabitants since most of the people of this area live in the villages. People rely heavily on plant resources for food, medicine, fodder, fuel, timber and others (Shrish et al. 2011a; 2011b). The utilization of wild plants is a necessary part of the strategies adopted by the people in order to survive in a harsh and unfavorable environment. The wild edible plants play an important role in food supplement during scarcity for local inhabitants (Bajracharya 1998). Because of small land holdings and subsistence agriculture, the local people harvest many wild edible plants for food. However, the traditional knowledge on the use of wild plants is very much limited (Rajasaab & Isaq, 2004). Despite earnest efforts, ethnobotanical knowledge in Nepal is also in danger of being lost and this is due mainly to changes in land use, over-exploitation of species, deforestation and destruction of habitats of useful plants, sociocultural transformation and the passing way of elderly people without transferring their knowledge to the young generation (Uprety et al. 2008). INTRODUCTION Nepal, unique in its geographical attributes and subsequent climatic variation, has been endowed with incredibly large varieties of wild flora and fauna and therefore, recognized as a biodiversity hotspot. There are more than 30 types of forests in Nepal based on climate. Forest is an important sector with significant effects on meeting national socio-economic and perspective functions especially the improvement of rural livelihood (Mbuvi & Boon 2009). There is a close link between forest and agriculture system from which farmers derive food, fuel, fodder and medicine. Particularly in hilly areas, landraces and their wild relatives play a significant role in the nutrition of local people (Sekeroglu et al. 2006). Wild plants are those that are not manipulated genotypically by human in any way (Dufour & Wilson 1994). They can prevail both in anthropogenic and natural environments. Todays’ most human plant food is based on rather limited number of crops, it is clear that in many parts of the world, the use of wild plants is of not less significance (PrescottAllen 1990; Scherrer et al. 2005; Bussmann & Sharon 2006; Cavender 2006; Kunwar et al. 2006; Pieroni et al. 2007). Sometime the nutritional value of traditional wild plants is higher than several known common vegetables and fruits (Nordede et al. 1996; Sundriyal & Sundriyal 2001; Orech et al. 2007). Documentation of traditional botanical knowledge on various use of wild plant resources have attracted many researchers in recent times (Dangol 2008; Acharya & Acharya 2010). The documentation of indigenous knowledge on plant utilization is not only for maintaining plant diversity but also for checking the loss and erosion of traditional knowledge (Uprety et al. 2008). Keeping this in view, the present study is aimed at exploring the wild plants of the mid hill region of Nepal with specific objectives as: i) to document the wild plant species of the study area; ii) to collect information on the plant parts used; and iii) to document the indigenous knowledge about the use of the plants. About 39.6% (5.83 million hectors) of the total land area of Nepal is occupied by forestland. Nepalese people have been utilizing the forest products as food, medicine, ornament, timber, fodder and agriculture implements etc. for their daily requirements since time immemorial. Harvesting wild plants is as old as human existence. In 93 Some Wild Plants and their Local Use in Mid Hill Region of Nepal Plants species with their scientific name, local name, family, life forms and their usage are presented in Table 1. During the present study, information was collected for 81 species belongings 44 families. Rosaceae was found to be the most common family with 8 species. Other important families were Moraceae (7 species), Leguminosae , Rutaceae, Compositeae, Fagaceae (3 species each), Combretaceae Myrtaceae (2 species). Among the plant species, fruit, leaf, stem, shoot, leaf and bark, flower buds, seed and petiole are mainly used for consumption. Fruits of Aesandra butyracea, Diospyros malabarica, Castanopsis hystrix, Choerospondias axillaris, Eugenia Formosa, Myrica esculenta, Phyllanthus emblica and leafy vegetables such as Chenopodium album, Dryopteris cochleata are sold in the market at a large scale. Some of the medicinal plants such as Bunium persicum, Physalis peruviana, Terminalla bellerica, Terminalia chebula, Zynthoxylum armatum are also sold in the market at large scale and with higher price. Fruits are mostly consumed raw and leafy vegetables are cooked, boiled or fried. Due to lack of proper storage facilities in the household, the harvesters are compelled to sell the harvests in fresh conditions. However some plants like bamboo shoots are preserved by the traditional methods. MATERIALS AND METHODS Study site The study was conducted in two village development committees (VDCs), one in Palpa (Siddeshwor) and one in Gulmi (Hastichaur) districts of mid hill region of Nepal. Both are the hill districts of the western development region of Nepal. Siddeshwor VDC lies at 83º 22' 14.17" E to 27º 56' 33.9" N, while Hastichaur VDC lies at 83º 14' 6.31" E to 28º 7' 52.93" N. Resembling in geographical locations, the areas are characterized by three biogeographical zones staggered from the temperate zone to tropical zone. As a typical feature of the hills, narrow river valleys are interspersed between mountain ranges and spurs. The average minimum and maximum temperatures varies from 23o C to 4.1oC and mean annual rainfall is over 1900 mm. Varied altitude, topography, status of soil and climatic conditions favour high species richness and support different types of forest. Within the study area, different locations were selected in order to document the wild useful plant species. Data Field data collection was carried out in both VDCs during the month of July-August 2013 to document information on different aspects of wild plants such as the traditional uses of plants, plant parts used, the methods of preparation of different food items and the local name of wild species harvested from the private land and forest. Structured and semi-structured questionnaires were prepared to interview with the respondents. Both male and female equally cooperated during the field study. It was ascertained the edibility of the plant parts by personally eating cooked vegetables and prepared food items such as pickles. Key informant interviewing with the local people and people of local markets were made for inventory of wild plants used for commercial purpose. The plant specimens were collected for herbarium and identification. Some plants were identified on the field. Wild edible plants provide more option for dietary diversity, can help smallholder farmers to collect more food and earn more diet and income. Percentage of wild edible tree species is markedly more (53.48%), followed by herbs (30.23%), shrubs/climbers (8.13%) (Fig. 1). It was observed that some wild edible species are under cultivation. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Siddeshwor VDC of Palpa and Hastichaur VDC of Gulmi districts are very rich in useful wild plants. Wild edible plants play significant role in the food and nutrition of the local people. They also contribute in hard times, especially during the period of food shortages and price hike, and help the communities to thrive. Majority of the households depend largely upon forest to collect edible fruits, vegetables, nuts as well as ingredients for preparing pickles and spices. This is possible because people of that area are rich in indigenous knowledge about beneficial use of the plants. Fig. 1. Habit characteristic of the wild edible plants of the study area Of the total recorded plant species, about 80% are used as food or food additives (Fig. 2). Most of them are important for their delicious fruits followed by their use as vegetables. It is evident that only about 17% of the documented plant species are used by local people as medicine to cure different ailments. 94 Rajib Khanal, Chandra P. Pokhrel and Ram Kailash P. Yadav Table 1. List of wild plant species found in the study area and their use S.N. 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Scientific Name Aesandra butyracea (Roxb.) Baehni Acorus calamus L. Aegle marmelos (L) Corr. Allium wallichii Kunth. Ampelocissus divaricata (Wall. ex Lawson) Planch Argemone maxicana L. Arisaema erubescens (wall.) Schott Artocarpus lakoocha Wall. Asparagus filicinus Buch-Harm. ex D.Don Azadirachta indica A. Juss. Bambus arundinaceae Wild. Bauhinia variegata L. Berberis angulosa Wall. ex Hook.f. & Thoms Berchemia edgeworthil Lawson Betula alnodes Buch-Ham. ex D. Don Bunium persicum (Boiss.feldts) Diospyros malabarica (Desr.) Kostel Calotropis gigantean (L.) Dryand Cannabis sativa L. Canissa carandas L. Carthamus tinctorius L. Cassia tora L. Castanopsis hystrix Miq. Castanopsis indica (Roxb.) Miq Castanopsis tribuloides(Sm.) A. DC. Centella asiatica L. Urban 27 Chenopodium album L. 5 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 Choerospondias axillaris (Roxb.) B. L. Brutt. & A. W. Hill. Cinnamomum glanduliferum (Wall.) Meisn. Cinnamomum tamala (Buch-Ham.) Ness & Eberm. Cinnamomum zeylanicum Breyn. Cissus repens Lam. Citrus maxima (Burm.) Herr. Coccinia grandis (L) Voigt Crateva unilocularis Buch.-Han Datura stramonium L. Dioscorea bulbifera L. Dioscorea deltoidea Wall. Dryoathyrium boryanum (Willd.) Ching Dryopteris cochleata (D. Don) C. Chr. Elephantopus scaber L. Eugenia Formosa Wall. Ficus benjamina L. Ficus lacor Buch-Ham. Ficus religiosa L. Ficus semicordata Buch. Ham ex Sm Fragaria nubicola Lindl. ex Lacaita Juglans regia L. Lathyrus aphaca L. Menthe arvensis L. Morus bombysis Koidzumi Musa superb Roxb. Myrica esculenta Buch-Ham. ex D. Don Local Name Chiuri Bojho Bel Van lasun Family Sapotaceae Araceae Rutaceae Amaryllidaceae Life Forms Tree Herb Tree Herb Used Part Fruit Rhizomes Fruit Whole plant Pureni Vitaceae Climber Fruit Sungure kanda Sarpa makai Badhar Van kurilo Nim Tama bans Koiralo Cutre kandha Angeri Paiyu Kalo jero Khallu Ank Ganga Paner Kusum Cakemake Patle catus Dhale catus Masure catus Ghodtapre Papaveraceae Araceae Moraceae Liliaceae Meliaceae Gramineae Leguminoceae Berberidaceae Rhamnaceae Betulaceae Umbelliferae Ebenaceae Asclepiadaceae Cannabaceae Apocynaceae Compositae Leguminosae Fagaceae Fagaceae Fagaceae Umbelliferae Herb Herb Tree Herb Tree Herb Tree Shrub Shrub Tree Herb Tree Shrub Herb Shrub Tree Herb Tree Tree Tree Herb Bethe Chenopodiaceae Herb Stem Fruit Fruit Shoot Leaf /petiole Young shoot Flower bud Fruit Fruit Fruit Seed / leaf Fruit Stem Shoot / flower Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit Leaf Young twigs & leaves Lapsi Anacardiaceae Tree Fruit Sinkauli Lauraceae Tree Leaf /Bark Tej pat Lauraceae Tree Leaf /Bark Dalchini Pureni Bhogate Gol kankri Sipligan Dhaturo Van tarul/ Gittha Bhyakur Kalo nyuro Niuro Halhale Thulo jamun Bar Kabhro Pipal Khanyu Bhui ainselu Okhara Jangali kerau Pudina Kimbu Jangali kera Kaphal Lauraceae Vitaceae Rutaceae Cucurbitaceae Capparaceae Solanaceae Dioscoreaceae Dioscoreaceae Aspidiaceae Aspidiaceae Compositae Myrtaceae Moraceae Moraceae Moraceae Moraceae Rosaceae juglandaceae Leguminosae Labiatae Moraceae Musaceae Myricaceae Tree Climber Tree Climber Tree Herb Climber Climber Herb Herb Herb Tree Tree Tree Tree Tree Herb Tree Climber Herb Tree Herb Tree Leaf /Bark Fruit Fruit Fruit Petiole/ leaf Fruit /seed Root Fruit Young shoot Young shoot Young shoot Fruit Fruit Flower bud Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit Seed Petiole/ leaf Fruit Fruits Fruit 95 Some Wild Plants and their Local Use in Mid Hill Region of Nepal 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 Nephrolepis cordiofollia (L.) Presl. Ocimum sanctum L. Ohioglossum vulgatum L. Phyllanthus emblica L. Physalis peruviana L. Picrasma javanica BI. Prunus comuta (Wall. ex Royle) Steud. Picrasma napaulensis (Ser.) Steud. Pyracantha crenulata (D. Don) Roem. Pyrus pashia Buch.-Harm. ex D. Don Rhododendrom anthopogon D. Don Rhododendrom arboretum Smith Rhus javanica L. Rorippa nasturtium – aquaticum (L.) Hayek Rubus ellipticus Smith Rubus paniculatus Smith. Rubus pentagonus Wall. ex Focke Schleichera oleosa (Lour.) Oken Scumula parasitica L. Spilanthes paniculata Wall. ex DC. Streblis asper Lour. Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels Tamarindus indica L. Terminalla bellerica (Gaertn.) Roxb. Terminalia chebula Retz. Urtica dioca L. Zizyphus mauritiana Lam. Zynthoxylum armatum DC. Pani amilo Tulasi Jibre sag Amala Ishmagol Teju Van aru Jangali aru Ghangaru Mayal Gurans Lali gurans Bhakimlo Simsag Ainselu Kalo ainselu Rato ainselu Kusum Ainjeru Marati Bedula Kalo jamun Imali Barro Harro Sisnu Bayar Timur Davalliaceae Labiateae Ophioglossaceae Euphorbiaceae Solanaceae Simarubaceae Rosaceae Rosaceae Rosaceae Rosaceae Ericaceae Ericaceae Anacardiaceae Cruciferae Rosaceae Rosaceae Rosaceae Sapindaceae Loranthaceae Compositae Moraceae Myrtaceae Leguminosae Combretaceae Combretaceae Urticaceae Rhamnaceae Rutaceae Herb Herb Herb Tree Herb Tree Tree Tree Tree Tree Tree Tree Tree Herb Shrub Shrub Shrub Tree Herb Herb Tree Tree Tree Tree Tree Herb Tree Tree Fruit Leaf/petiole Leaf Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit Flower Flower Fruit Leaf Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit Flower Fruit Fruit Fruit Fruit /seed Fruit /seed Young leaf Fruit Fruit Kathmandu valley (Bajracharya 1998). Moreover, most of the plants are reported for their food value. Similar studies were conducted around the Royal Chitwan National Park (Mahara, 1999), Lekam area of Dharchula district (Pant et al. 2005), Parroha VDC of Rupandehi district (Acharya & Acharya, 2010) and Parsa district (Shrestha, 1994). In terms of usage, the plants are used as vegetable, pickles, spice, nuts and fresh fruits. The plants are available to the local people on seasonal basis. Villagers have to depend on the seasonal availability of the wild edible species. In addition to that, there is pressure on the wild population of these species and they are believed to be gradually declining due to shifting cultivation, reduced areas under the forest cover and subsequently difficulty for the villagers to travel to long distance in order to locate and harvest wild food stuffs. However, these wild plants are the reserves in case of crop failure and food shortages which Nepal has faced. This also leads to sustainable utilization of the wild plant genetic resources and even domestication of some of the wild plants in the context of changing climate. Fig. 2. Use pattern of wild plants in the study area The plant species listed above are not the main staple food part of people’s diet but they are a very important supplement because they are very nutritious and add minerals and vitamins to the diet (Márquez & Schwartz 2008; Thomas & Van Damme 2010). From this study, it is clear that Siddeshwor VDC of Palpa and Hastichaur VDC of Gulmi districts are fairly rich in plants growing wild that have multiple uses. The number of plants (81) has outnumbered those reported in other similar studies (32 plant species) from the region (Shrish et al. 2011b); and the number of edible plant species documented here is also higher than those reported from Though limited in its scope, the study has highlighted the abundance of wild plants of multiple usage from the mid hill region of western Nepal. Most of the plants documented are abundant around forest covered area. Destructive harvesting practices by local people are 96 Rajib Khanal, Chandra P. Pokhrel and Ram Kailash P. Yadav major causes of their decline. Sustainable harvesting would guarantee these renewable resources for the future generations. This can easily be achieved if the government and non government organization launches programmes involving local community on ‘care and share’ basis for conservation of such genetic resources. Nordeide, M. B., Hatloy, A., Folling, M., Lied, E. and, Oshoug, A. 1996. 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