Wild Edible Plants of the Anamalais, Coimbatore District, Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu
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Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge Vol. 6(1), January 2007, pp. 173-176 Wild edible plants of the Anamalais, Coimbatore district, western Ghats, Tamil Nadu VS Ramachandran PG and Research Department of Botany, Kongunadu Arts and Science College (Autonomous), Coimbatore 641 029, Tamil Nadu Email: [email protected] Received 25 August 2006; revised 25 September 2006 Anamalai hills, western Ghats, Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu were surveyed to list out the edible plants utilized by the tribal communities such as Kadars, Pulaiyars, Malasars, Malaimalasars and Mudhuvars. About 74 plant species including 25 leafy vegetables, 4 fruit yielding and 45 fruit / seed yielding varieties have been identified. The local tribal communities for their dietary requirements since a long time have utilized these forest produce. Many of these less familiar edible plants can be subjected to further investigation to meet the food and nutrition security of the nation. Keywords: Tribals, Anamalais, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, Wild edible plants, Kadars tribe, Pulaiyars tribe, Malasars tribe, Malaimalasars tribe and Mudhuvars tribe IPC Int. Cl.8: A61K36/00, A01G1/00, A01G17/00, A47G19/00, A23L1/00, A23L1/06, A23L2/02 Tribes constitute an important component repre- Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu, which is spreading senting about 8% of the total population of India; it is to an area of 985 sq km. It is located at 10o-12o5’– about, 1.04% of the total population of Tamil Nadu. 11o7’ N latitude and 76o 77o–58.2’ E longitude, and at Tamil Nadu is the home of as many as 36 different an altitude ranging from 340 m to 2400 m. It is an tribal communities and in terms of concentration of offshoot of the western Ghats, which runs from West tribal population, Coimbatore district is known for it to East. There are 36 settlements in and around the forests and there are six types of tribes inhabiting the fringes of the sanctuary. Of the 6 tribes known to Western Ghats; Irulars, Malasaras, Malamalasars, dwell in this district, following 5 types of tribal Puliyas, Kadars and Muthuvars constitute the communities inhabit the area are Kadars, Malasars, dominant groups. Except Irulars, all other tribal Malai malasars, Pulaiyars and Mudhuvars. communities live in and fringes of Indira Gandhi The study was conducted in the Anamalais Wild Life sanctuary, Anamalais. They live in covering 8 hamlets over a period of 5 yrs from 1993 settlements; they work as coolies in the nearby to 1997. After familiarizing with the topography, agricultural farms as well as they are engaged in preliminary data about the requirements of different forestry operations as and when required by the Tamil plants, which are used for different purposes like Nadu forest department. There is a spurt in number of food, medicine, housing and other miscellaneous uses research projects, which are being carried out within were obtained by watching their daily activities. Data the sanctuary. Attempts have been made to list out the was also collected through the combination of tools ethnobotany of Anamalais1,2,3. However, information and technique of questionnaire, PRA, focused group collected on the use of Wild edible plants is scanty, interview and discussion; voucher specimens are and hence the present studies were conducted to preserved in the herbarium of Department of Botany, enrich the knowledge on the edible plants used by the Kongunadu Arts and Science College, Coimbatore, tribes inhabit jungle interiors. Tamil Nadu. Methodology Observation The present study area is confined to a vast tract, A total of 74 plant species belonging to 55 genera i.e. Indira Gandhi Wild Life sanctuary, Anamalais, and spreading over 40 families, which include 174 INDIAN J TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, VOL. 6, No. 1, JANUARY 2007 Pteridophytes and Angiosperms have been listed. kernels of Schleichera oleosa, Terminalia bellirica Based on the usage, the plants were further classified and seeds of Sterculia guttata and Xylia xylocarpa are under edible leafy vegetables twigs, fruits and seeds, roasted before consumption (Table 1). and they form a part of tribal diet in one form or the other. Vegetables constitute an important part of the Discussion diet in tribal communities. At least one or two The tribal communities possess a comprehensive vegetable dishes are served together with rice, in knowledge of the uses of plants and vegetables. A almost all meals providing important vitamins and total of 74 species are enumerated in this investi- minerals. Even though, a number of vegetables are gation. The largest category is the leaves and green cultivated, a large number of species are collected shoots from 25 species; whereas fruits of four species from wild too. Vegetables are processed in countless are also collected and eaten as vegetables. As sources ways; a vegetable dish may consist of only one of fresh fruits, trees dominant with 20 species; shrubs species or sometimes several species together, with 13 species, climbers with 5 species and herbs depending on the taste. Most vegetables are eaten with 3 species are also recorded. Family Amaran- cooked or fried in various ways. Wild growing thaceae was found to be dominant amongst them with vegetables are collected from different types of 9 species, Euphorbiaceae with 6 species, Solanaceae vegetation like secondary forests, moist deciduous with 5 species, Capparidaceae with 4 species, and forests, stream banks and open degraded / waste Moraceae and Tiliaceae with 3 species each, and the lands. Women folk are largely involved in the rest are represented with one or two species. While collection of wild growing vegetables; rarely men do analyzing the life forms, it was found that there are 24 contribute too. They collect edible leaves from the trees and herbs; shrubs with 16 species, and climbers forest or as weed found in their cultivated or in with 10 species. In traditional tribal society of wastelands for consumption along with boiled rice Anamalais, men are responsible for the planning, after cooking. management and harvesting of the crops. However, Out of 25 types of leaves (Table 1), Achyranthes women have the responsibility to manage, collect and aspera, Alternanthera tenella, A. pungens, A. sessilis, process almost all other edible plants. Similarly, tribal Amaranthus viridis, A. spinosus, Cassia tora, Digera children know a lot about edible plants, including muricata, Portulaca oleracea types are very popular local names. The women folk have fair knowledge, among all the tribes. From their backyards or nearby more on the occurrence of edible plants, including the habitations they collect, Asystasia dalzelliana, identification, local names, distribution collecting Boerhaavia diffusa, Celosia argentea, Cissus quadr- season, appraisal of quality, processing and cooking angularis, Coccinia grandis, Cleome monophylla, methods. Therefore, elderly tribal women should be Commelina benghalensis, Laptadenia reticulata, treated as key informants to know more about the Trianthema portulacastrum. The plants like Adenia tribal cuisine and its nutritional qualities. wightiana, Anaphyllum beddomei, Polygonum According to the field observations, the daily chinense are brought from the forest. In addition to consumption of wild vegetable is more than that of the above, leaves of Diplazium esculentum, Marsilea the cultivated ones. Tribals living in remote areas quadrifolia are also eaten by these tribes as per their depend on wild edible plants since there is no market seasonal availability. Leaves and fruits of Solanum in their vicinity for buying the vegetables and fruits in nigrum are also eaten raw. The fruits of Solanum order to meet their dietary requirements. Habitat surattense, S. torvum, S. pubescens and S. melongena degradation and fragmentation of these forests have var. insanum are widely used in culinary preparations, resulted in the depletion of natural resources, on seasonally (Table 1). which these tribes used to depend and it has become The flesh of many fruits is eaten fresh without increasingly difficult for them to follow their processing, whereas others had to be processed traditional practice. Tourism and urbanization has further. Even small children are familiar with wild changed their life style due to encroachment in and fruits found in the forests. The value of these fruits around tribal settlements. Hence, there is an urgent should not be under estimated, as many fruits are rich need to arrest the erosion of their knowledge at the in vitamins and minerals. All the fruits that are eaten earliest, since India is a signatory of the Convention raw are listed in Table 1. Apart from above, the on Biological Diversity4,5. In order to meet the RAMACHANDRAN: WILD EDIBLE PLANTS OF THE ANAMALAIS OF COIMBATORE DISTRICT 175 Table 1—Edible plants and their produce consumed by tribals of Anamalais Plant name Family Local name Habit Collecting season Leafy vegetables Alternanthera pungens H.B. & K. Amaranthaceae Gandhimul Herb Round the year Alternanthera sessilis DC Amaranthaceae Ponnankanni Herb Rainy Alternanthera tenella (L.) Colla Amaranthaceae Vellaponnankanni Herb Rainy Achyranthes aspera L. Amaranthaceae Nayuruvi Herb Round the year Adenia wightiana Engl. Passifloraceae Kanvalikizanghu Climber Summer Amaranthus spinosus L. Amaranthaceae Mullukeerai Herb Rainy A. viridis L. Amaranthaceae Kuppaikeerai Herb Rainy Anaphyllum beddomei Engl. Araceae - Herb Rainy Asystasia dalzelliana Sant. Acanthaceae - Herb Round the year Boerhavia diffusa L. Nyctaginaceae Mukkarattai Herb