H. Kayang and B. Kharbuli

Wild Edible Plants of Megbalaya

INTRODUCTION

Meghalaya comprises of South Garo Hills, West Garo Hills, East Garo Hills, WestKhasi Hills, East Khasi Hills, Ri-Bhoi and Jaintia Hills districts lying between 25°47" - 26°10"N latitude and 89°45" - 92°45" E longitude and covers an area of 22,549 km'. It is boundedon the North, East and West by Assam and on the South by Bangladesh (Fig. 1). The altituderanges from 50 - 1960 m. The state is having an estimated population of about 23,57,510according to the projected 2001 census with a density of 79-persons/sq. km.

.r>:/\r' TUla

f West Garo'.....,.. Hills. ------ -•...

Assam N- /1 {--<....J. ~~'-J t')1\......- -, ------r-er--' ~-' N~ngpoh ?

East Garo Hills { '~--- - •..., Ri Bhoi ',~ •. . /' West Khasi Hills \, _/ ~ -~ Assam

WJiha~nag~ J' ) - i \.~' \ No~gstoin .:> • ) Jowai r:l

-, .' Shillong \ • ~,South Garo Hills ..~, }. East l11asi .J .. . l.~_. Bag~ara " '\ "., Hills ..-L.. Jeintie Hills ,IJ'

~-_., __ .r:" '_._~ J

Bangladesh

Fig 1: District map of Meghalaya

Meghalaya is ranked seventh among all states and union territories in respect ofthe percentage of state's geographic area under forest cover with 70 percent of thestate is forest area (State forest report, 2002). Almost 90 percent of the forest area ofthe state is outside the direct government control and is owned by the clan and com-munity. The state has 1112 sq. kms of reserved forest, 12 sq. kms of protected forest

Biodiversity in North East India

m.~$.m.m~S~G~~~mm •• m.sem.~.m •• ~e 8•• MEGHALAYA-ATAGLANCE ••: e: Geographical Location

: 25° 47'-26° 10' Nand 89° 45' - 92° 47' E••: Area: 22,429 sq. km

•••• Population (2001 census): 23,57,510••: Density: 79 personsl sq.km.•••• Sex ratio: 955 femalesll 000 malese: Literacy: Total 75%

"•• Number of Districts: 7••: Number of Blocks: 32•••• Number of towns: 12": Number of villages: 5780••: Reserved areas: 981 sq.km

: Protected areas: 12 sq.km•: Unclassed areas: 8503 sq.km

: National Parks: 2 nos, with 386.70 sq.kms area••: Sanctuaries: 3 nos, with 34.21 sq.km area

: Coal production••: Limestone production - 389000 MT

•••• Cement production- 1.03 lakh MT•••••• (Source: Directorate of Economics & Statistics,: Government ofMeghalaya)9 eRecently, the role of ethnobotanical .•.•.•.•co ••••••••••••••••••••••••• " •••••••••••••••

studies in trapping the old traditional folk knowledge as well as in searching new plantsources of food, drugs etc. has been emphasized (Jain, 1987,1991).

The study indicated the presence of a large number of wild edible plants in thedistrict; however, the present paper enumerates only those species which are used asfood or spice by the people of this region.

and 8372 sq. kms of unclassed forest.Meghalaya has a dense forest area of 5681sq. kms (25.3 pc of the state forest area),while 9903 sq. kms is open forest (44.2%)and the remaining is a non forest area (3.0%). Dense forests are areas where the foli-age cover (canopy) is more than 40%,whereas in open forests, it is between 10 to40% and in the non forest area the foliagecover is below 10 pc.

The forests of Meghalaya provide alarge number of plants whose fruits, seeds,tubers, shoots, etc. make an important con-tribution to the diet of the pop Ie, particularlythose living near forests and other rural ar-eas. These plants not only provide inexpen-sive food but several other useful productslike medicine, fibre, fodder, dyes etc. Theyalso provide useful genes for crop improve-ment. The study of wild edible plants is im-portant not only to identify the potentialsources which could be utilized as alterna-tive food or in times of scarcity but to selectpromising types for domestication.

- 4238000 MT

•••••e••••••••••••••••••••••••II

•••••••••••••e••e••II

••••

61

Wild Edible Plants of Meghalaya

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Along with intensive survey of locally available information on the use of traditionalherbal medicine collected through personal interview and literature search, field work wasalso considered necessary. Short field visits were made to specific areas. During the fieldvisit, interactions with local knowledgeable persons and other stakeholders were made tocollect information and to solicit their views on medicinal plants and biodiversity conserva-tion. The methodology followed during field work was based mainly on the detailed question-naires and some standard format. Carefully planned field work spread over four years from1998 to 2002 was carried out in different tribal pockets of Meghalaya. The purpose of thestudy was not only the collection of first hand information about the relationship of medicinalplants with the community but also to verify the already published data wherever possible.

Studies were carried out among different tribes of the state. The plant were identifiedusing relevant floras and by matching the specimens in the herbaria of Botanical Survey ofindia at Shillong and at North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong. Where necessary, interpret-ers were employed in order to acquire details of uses and other information on plants andtheir environment. Tribal markets or weekly hats were also visited to study the plants andplant products sold there. As the rural folk of the region are largely dependent on wild plantsand plant products for their existence, their local markets are full of wild vegetables, fruitsand medicinal plants. These markets are either permanent as in Shillong, Sohra, Nongstoin,Jowai, Nongpoh and other big towns, or are held on a fixed day each week in small villages.These weekly hats are tapped for their rich source of information. The vegetables and fruitscollected from the wild and their products are the commonest commodity in these tribalmarkets as well as the domesticated variety of crops and animals.

OBSERVATIONS AND RESULTS

In the present study 87 wild plants which are eaten whole or in part by the local peopleare recorded along with their family, local name, habit, extent of use, parts used and mode ofusage.

62

Biodiversity in North East India

=

Table 1: Wild Edible Plants of Megbalaya

Sl

17,

Cor dam in e macrophylla

Casearia gravio/ens

Kenbut (M k) A raliaceae

Local nam e Fam ilyScientific nam e Mode of Utilization

I.

2,

3,

4,

5,

6,

7,

8,

9,

10,

II.

12,

13,

14,

IS,

16,

A canth op an ax trijoliatu s

A dh ato du vasica

A/ocasia indica

Amarallthus g ang eticu s

A ntid e sm a d iendru m

Argyria nervosa

A rtocarpus chap/asha

A rto carp us heterophyllus

Azadirachta indica

Baccaurea sapida

Ballhillia p urp ure a

Begonia p alm ata

Begonia roxburghii

Begonia rllbrovellia

Brassaiopsis palmate

Budd/ejia macro stach y a

Calamus acanth o sp athus

18,

19,

Devglamch (G) Acanthaceae

Kimchit nokam (G) Araceae

Chantili (G) A maranthaceae

A burok-arabok (G) Euphorbiaceae

Jatapmasi (K), Soh Convolvulaceaering kang

Soh-phan khlaw (K) Moraceae

Soh-phan (K) M oraceae

Neemu (G) Meliaceae

Soh ramdieng (K), Euphorbiaceaedojuka (G)

M uyung-Iaphang (K) Caesalpiniaceaemegong (G)

Hurmaw(G) BegoniaceaeJajew(M k)

Kimchare (G) Begoniaceae

Johoksier (K) Begoniaceae

Eri (G) A raliaceae

Jalong krem (K)

Rie (G)

Bolong miandok (G)

63

B uddijaceae

Araceae

Brassicaceae

Bixacaceae

Young shoots are cooked andeaten

Cooked as vegetable

Cooked as vegetables

Cooked as vegetables

Eaten raw

Leaves are eaten raw andconsidered to be medicinal

Cooked as vegetables

Dried seeds pow dered andstored and this is boiled withwater and eaten as a substitutefor rice during fam ine orscarcity, Eaten raw

Cooked as vegetables

Flower is eaten raw

Leaves and flower is cookedas vegetables

Young shoots are cooked andeaten, Fruits yield a dye usedas ink

Leaves and shoots are cookedwith dry fish

Stem is edible

Lea ves are fed to Eri silkworms

Barks are chewed with betallea f

Shoots are pounded,fermented and then sundriedand stored for offseason

Leaves are used as vegetable

Lea ves are used as vegetableand t w igs are cooked andeaten

Wild Edible Plants of Meghalaya

SI Scientific name Local name Family Mode of Utilization

20. Castanopsis indica Chhakku khokrok Fagaceae Fruits are eaten raw(G)

21. Centella asiatica Kynbat moina(K), Roots and Leaves are eatenBrahrnirG) raw or cooked for dysentry,

skin disease, diabetes etc.

22 Chlorophytum Soh-kyian Liliaceae Cooked as Vegetablearundinaceum

23. Cirsium involucratum Soh chlia (K) Asteraceae Seeds are aromatic, eaten raw

24. Cleome viscosa - Cleomaceae Seed are used for flavoringcurry

25. Codonopsis parviflora Ja tyndong (K) Campanulaceae Leaves are cooked and eaten

26. Colocasia affinis Goneusu (G) Araceae Roots are cooked with dryfish

27. Colocasia esculenta Matchitangong (G) Araceae Roots are cooked asvegetables

28. Corchorus capsularis Mehku (G) Tiliaceae Leaves are cooked asvegetable

29. Corchorus pretense Amalthchu(G) Amaryllidaceae Roots are cooked asvegetables

30. Cordia grandis Kotra (Mk) Ehreliaceae Resin is used as adhesive

31. Crataeva nurvala long sia (G) Cleomaceae Shoots are cooked and eaten

32. Crinum pretense Amaltchu (G) Amaryllidaceae Root are cooked as vegetable

33. Croton roxburghii Marthu arong (Mk) Euphorbiaceae Leaves are used forfermenting liquor

34. Croton tiglium Runi bih (G) Euphorbiaceae Fruits are used as antidote

35. Cryptolepis sinensis - Periplocaceae Branches are used as fishingrods

36. Cucurbita moschata Pathaw (K) Cucurbitaceae Eaten raw

37. Cyathocalyx - Annonoceae Ripe fruits is ediblemartabanicus

38 Dendrocalamus Binh (G) Nain Poacaceae Shoot are pounded and usedhalmiltonii as pickle and also for off

season

39. Desmondium triflorium Memang-mong- Fabaceae Lea ves are cooked and mixedarabak (G) with dry fish

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Biodiversity in North East India

40. DilLenia indica

Mode of Utilization81 Scientific name

41. Elaeagnus latifolia

42. Elaeocarpus floribundus

43. Elatostema dissectum

44. Eryngium foetidum

45. Fagopyrum esculentum

46. Ficus auriculata

47. Ficus prostata

48. Fiscus hispida

49. Garcinia pedunculata

50. Gaultheriafragrantissima

51. Gnetum mantanum

52. Hedyotis diffusa

53. Hibiscus pungens

54. Hodgsonia macrocarpa

55. Homalomena aromatica

56. Ipomea racemosa

57. lxora subsessilis

58. Mallotus philippinensis

Local name

Agachi(G) , DiengSoh Karbam (K)

Soh Shang(K),chhokhua (G)

Jolpai (G), Ok-hisinsigti (Mk)

Etucha-bellock(G)

Jarain (K)

Thamusa(G)

Soh denae(K),Thizou(G)

La thynrait

Jagingriube(Mk)

Mangaluk(Mk)

Kaldha(G)

Soh-Lyot (K)

Kimchit nokam(G)

Setre budu(G)

Sang rura(G)

Setre budie(G)

65

Family

Dillaniaceae

Elaeagnaceae

Elaeocarpiaceae

Urticaceae

Apiaceae

Polygonaceae

Moraceaae

Moraceae

Moraceae

Guttiferaceae

Ericaceae

Gnetaceae

Rubiaceae

Malvaceae

Curcurbitaceae

Araceae

Convolvulaceae

Rubiaceae

Euphorbiaceae

Unripe fruits are cooked withdry fruits

Fruit are eaten raw

Fruits are edible and used formaking pickle.

Leaves and fruits are edible,either raw or cooked

Leaves are cooked asvegetables

Leaves are cooked and eaten

Shoots are used as vegetables

Bark are eaten with betalleaf

Unripe fruits are cooked asvegetables and ripe ones areeaten raw.

Fruit are eaten raw

Fruits edible, leaves used fortea

The seeds are chewed assubstitute for areca nut

Leaves are eaten with fishafter child birth.

Leaves are cooked asvegetables

Leaves as Silk worm feed

Petiole are cooked asvegetables

Cooked as vegetables alsoconsumed boiled

Cooked preferably mixedwith dry fish

Unripe fruits are cooked asvegetable

Wild Edible Plants of Meghalaya

Sl Scientific name Local name Family M ode of Utilization

59. M alvu strum Som zalik (G) M alvaceae Seeds are cooked astr icu sp id atum vegetables and bark are used

as condiments

60. M anihot esculenta Phondiew Euphorbiaceae Barks are taken with betallea f

61. M onochoria hostata G aropaksi gachli (G) Pontederiaceae Petioles are cooked with dryfish

62. M o ring a ptery g o sp erm a SajnarG) , Rodina M oringaceae Leaves, fl ow ers and fruits are(K) usually cooked with dry fish

63. Myrica nagi Sohphie (K) M yricaseae Eaten raw and also used formaking pickles

64. Oxalis latifolia Soh-thiang Oxalidaceae Fodder for Eri Silk worms

65. Oxyspora panicu/ata Long tang M elastom aceae Eaten raw

66. Pedieularis c arno sa Sam dipo (G) Scroph u la riaceae Lea ves and roots aresamthapar (K) cooked and eaten as vegetable

67. Pep erom ia pel/ucida Bithe (G) Piperaceae Lea ves are cooked asvegetables

68. Ph io gucanth us V erua kain cheit (G) A canthaceae Leaves and flower are cookedthyrsif/arus with fish and meat

69 PhrYllium c apitatum Balgate (G) Zingiberaceae Roots are cooked asvegetables

70. Ph yllanthus emblic a Bon b a k er if G) Euphorbiaceae Fruits are eaten raw alsomixed with curry

71. Phyllalllhlls p arvijolius Jala mat kha(K), Euphorbiaceae Fruits are eaten raw alsomemang ambri (G) mixed with curry

72. Ph ytolac ca acino sa lada Ph ytolaccaceae

73. Piper m elam iris Dubili (G) Piperaceae Lea ves are ch ew ed assubstitute of betal, lea f alsocooked as vegetables

74. Ple ctr anth u s incanu s Chichittoni (G) Lam iaceae Lea ves are cooked asvegetables

75. Polyg o num ehillellse U niuh trn ar Polygonaceae Shoots are pounded,fermented, exracted and thensun dried for off season use

76. Portulaca oleracea Stilchi (G) Portu lace ae Lea yes are cooked asvegetable

77. Pricam ph ylus glaueus Assam M enispermaceae Fodder for cattle, goat

66

Biodiversity in North East India

81 Scientific nam e Local name Family Mode of Utilization

78. Rhynchotechum Regong(G) Gesneriaceae Leaves are cooked with dryellipticum fish

79. Rhynchotechum vestiturn Regong-chu (G) Gesneriaceae Leaves are cooked asvegetables along with sodiumbicarbonate

80. Rubus ellipticus Dieng- soh -sah (K) Rosaceae Eaten raw81. Smilax perfoliata Shiah -krot (K) Sntilacaceae Shoot are pounded,

fermented, extracted and thensun dried for off seasonsused,

82. Sonchusleracea Jajew (K) Asteraceae Fruit are eaten raw83. Strobilanthus coloratus Samoong (G) Acanthaceae Leaves are cooked as

Sam-siphara (K) vegetable

84. Zanthoxylum Jaiur khlaw (K) Rutaceae Fruits is pungent and spicyacanthopodium and are used as a spice

85. Zanthoxylum armatum Jaiur (K) Rutaceae Fruits are aromatic and usedas spice

86. Zanthoxylum khaisanum Sumet-cheng(G), Rutaceae Leaves as vegetable, fruitsJaiur khasi (K) aromatic and gives a tingling

sensation and usually used forchutney/spice

87. Zanthoxylum limonella Hajor(Mk) Rutaceae Leaves as vegetables and thespines is of medicinalimportance

K - Khasi, G - Garo, Mk - Mikir

67

References

Jain, S. K. (1987). A Manual ofEthnobotany. Scientific Publishers, Jodhpur.Jain, S. K. (1991). Dictionary ofIndian Folk Medicine and Ethnobotany. Deep Pub-

lishers,New Delhi.