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Wild edible plants of the sacred groves of the foothills of southern Western Ghats

. M. Malarvizhi, K. Sruthi K. and J. Lohidas


Abstract

The South Western Ghats are blessed with rich vegetation which comprises of ethnobotanical and economically important plants.Ethnobotanical survey was conducted in 48 tribal settlements; the field survey was carried out during the years 2018-2020 among the Kanis residing in and around the Kanniyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary, southern Western Ghats.The investigation revealed that a total of 50 wild edible fruit plants belonging to 31 families and 41 genera were found to be used as food by the inhabitants of the study area.Among the 50 species of edible plants collected from this area 49 species belong to Angiosperm and one species is Gymnosperm.  Nineteen species of edible plants are eaten raw or ripe and 31 plants are cooked food. Results of the present study revealed that the wild edible plants of the sacred groves of the foothills of southern Western Ghats are used as supplementary, seasonal or survival food sources of Kanis, and hence play a role in combating food insecurity.

 

Keywords:Edible plants; Ethnobotanical survey; Food security; Sacred groves

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