Traditional Knowledge of Edible Plants Among the Temuan Villagers in Kampung Jeram Kedah, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

Full Length Research Paper

Traditional knowledge of edible plants among the Temuan Villagers in Kampung Jeram Kedah, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

Hean-Chooi Ong, Simon Chua and Pozi Milow*

Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Accepted 6 April, 2010

The authors report a total of 69 species of edible plants used by the villagers in Jeram Kedah village. The edible parts were obtained equally from wild plants and cultivated plants. A total of 28 species were eaten cooked compared to 23 species eaten raw. Fruits and seeds were the most common parts used with a total of 38 species followed by leafy parts with 15 species. It is important not only to record such native knowledge and conduct further studies but also to take steps to conserve the genetic diversity of edible plants before they are lost to human kind forever. Traditional knowledge and usage of certain edible plants is decreasing due to various factors such as changes in culture, personal preferences, the tedious process of preparing certain food items, changes in habitat causing certain edible plants to be unavailable or less available.

Key words: Traditional knowledge, edible plants, Temuan.

INTRODUCTION

The indigenous people (orang asli) of Peninsular is 101° 57.46’ E. This is a traditional native village with the houses Malaysia are grouped into 3 different ethnic groups; the built in clearings surrounded by vegetation and with a stream Negritos (Semang), the Senoi and the Proto-Malays. The nearby. There are 50 households with a total of approximately 700 persons living in an area of about 30 ha. Most of the houses are Temuan tribe is in the Proto-Malay ethnic group. The built in the native style using materials obtained from the Temuans are a comparatively large tribe and they are surrounding forests. A few houses are more modern, being built known for their deep knowledge and usage of edible wild using planks, beams, bricks and mortar. plants (Carey, 1976; Ong, 1991). The Temuans are Information was obtained through general conversation with adult agriculturists as well as hunters and gatherers. Thus, villagers guided by a predetermined set of questions during each visit using the method of ethnobotanical enquiry (Chin, 1981; they make use of the biological diversity available to them Martin, 1995). The sessions are recorded and transcribed later. for fulfilling various needs (Carey, 1976; Ong, 1991, Plant specimens were collected using standard taxonomical 1994). As modernisation creeps or marches towards the procedures, taking specimens with flowers and fruits whenever doorstep of the native tribes, knowledge and usage of possible (Womersley, 1981). Photographs of every specimen were biodiversity decreases and eventually becomes also taken and used together with the plant specimens for adulterated or lost to humanity. Thus, it is imperative that identification and record. Identification was carried by referring to various references such as Henderson (1974a, b), Ng (1989), the scientific community records and publishes this Ridley (1967). knowledge.

MATERIALS AND METHODS RESULTS

This study was conducted in a Temuan village named Kampung This study has recorded a total of 69 species of edible (Malay word for village) Jeram Kedah, in the state of Negeri plants used in the selected Temuan native village. The Sembilan, Malaysia. The latitude is 2° 54.33’ N while the longitude Temuan in this village used edible plants from their home

garden, agricultural plot, wild plants surrounding their

village and also forest plants. Some species occur as

both wild and planted due to two reasons. One is that, the *Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]. Ong et al. 695

Table 1. List of edible plants used by villagers in Kampung Jeram Kedah.

Series no. Botanical name Native name Status Method of usage 1 Acrypteris irregularis (Presl.) Holtt. Paku papan Wild Soft young leaves eaten cooked 2 Alpinia galanga (L.) Willd. Lengkuas Planted Rhizome used to flavor food 3 Amaranthus viridis L. Bayam Wild Leaves, petioles, soft stems eaten cooked 4 Amomum uliginosum Koen. ex Retz. Tepus merah Wild Ripe fruits eaten raw 5 Anacardium occidentale L. Gajus Planted, wild Ripe pseudo-fruit eaten raw 6 Ananas comosus (L.) Merr. Nenas Planted Ripe fruits eaten raw. Unripe fruits eaten cooked. 7 Areca catechu L. Pinang Planted, wild Seeds chewed in betel quid 8 Artocarpus elasticus Reinw. Terap Wild Flesh of ripe fruits eaten raw. Seeds eaten cooked. Unripe fruits eaten cooked. 9 Artocarpus heterophyllus Lamk. Nangka Planted Flesh of ripe fruits eaten raw. Seeds eaten cooked. Unripe fruits eaten cooked. 10 Artocarpus integer (Thunb.) Merr. Cempedak Planted Flesh of ripe fruits eaten raw. Seeds eaten cooked. 11 Averrhoa bilimbi L. Belimbing buluh Planted Ripe or unripe fruits eaten raw or used to flavor food 12 Averrhoa carambola L. Belimbing manis Planted Ripe or unripe fruits eaten raw 13 Baccaurea bracteata Muell. Arg. Tampoi Wild, planted Flesh of ripe fruits eaten raw or fermented to make alcoholic drink..

Baccaurea motleyana (Muell. Arg.) 14 Rambai Planted, wild Flesh of ripe fruits eaten raw or fermented to make alcoholic drink.. Muell. Arg.

15 Bambusa pauciflora Ridl. Buluh padi Planted, wild Shoots eaten cooked. 16 Calamus manan Miq. Rotan manau Planted, wild Flesh of ripe fruits eaten raw. 17 Capsicum frutescens L. Cili api Planted, wild Green or ripe fruits used to flavor food. 18 Carica papaya L. Kepayo Planted Ripe fruits eaten raw. Green fruits and shoots eaten cooked.

Citrus aurantifolia (Christm. and Panzer) 19 Limau nipis Planted Juice used to flavor food Swing.

20 Clerodendrum villosum Bl. Akar chapak Wild Bark chewed in betel quid 21 Cocos nucifera L. Kelapo Planted, wild Young coconut water as a drink. Coconut milk and oil used to cook food. 22 Colocasia antiquorum Schott. Keladi bera Wild Leaf, petiole and rhizome eaten cooked. 23 Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott Keladi minyak Wild, planted Leaf, petiole and rhizome eaten cooked. 24 Cucumis sativus L. Timun Planted Ripe or green fruits eaten raw or cooked 25 Curcuma longa L. Kunyit Planted Rhizome used to flavor and color food. 26 Cymbopogon citratus (DC) Stapf. Serai Planted Leaf base used to flavor food

Dendrocalamus asper (Schultes and 27 Buluh betong Planted, wild Shoots eaten cooked Schultes.f.) Backer ex Hyne

28 Diplazium esculentum (Retz.) Sw. Paku tanjung Wild Young leaf and soft petiole eaten cooked 696 Sci. Res. Essays

Table 1. Cont’d.

29 Diplazium speciosum Bl. Paku kikir Wild Young leaf and soft petiole eaten cooked 30 Donax canniformis (Forst.f.) Schum Bamban Wild Green fruits eaten raw 31 Durio zibethinus Murray Durian Planted, wild Ripe fruits eaten raw 32 Eugenia aquea Burm.f. Jambu air Planted, wild Ripe fruits eaten raw 33 Elettariopsis curtisii Baker Tepus angin Wild Leaf used to flavor food 34 Ficus grossularioides Burm.f. Ropon Wild Young leaf eaten cooked 35 Garcinia prainiana King Pusat berudu Wild, planted Young leaf and ripe fruit eaten raw 36 Garcinia mangostana L. Manggis Planted Ripe fruit eaten raw 37 Gigantochloa scortechinii Gamble Buluh haur Wild, planted Shoot eaten cooked 38 Hevea brasiliensis Muell. Arg. Pokok getah Planted, wild Fermented seed eaten cooked 39 Hodgsonia capniocarpa Ridl. Akar khadam Wild Seeds eaten cooked 40 Ipomoea aquatica Forskal Kangkong Wild, planted Leaf and stem eaten cooked 41 Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lamk. Keledek Planted Tuber eaten cooked 42 Limnocharis flava (L.) Buch. Tapak itik Wild Leaf and petiole eaten cooked 43 Lansium domesticum Correa Duku, langsat Planted Ripe fruit eaten raw 44 Mangifera foetida Lour. Bacang Planted Ripe fruit eaten raw 45 Manihot esculenta Crantz. Ubi kayu Planted Young leaf and tuber eaten cooked 46 Melastoma malabathricum L. Kedodok merah Wild Ripe fruit eaten raw 47 Monochoria vaginalis (Burm.) Presl. Pelayau Wild Leaf and petiole eaten cooked 48 Musa acuminata Colla Pisang mas Planted Ripe fruit eaten raw. Inflorescence eaten cooked 49 Musa paradisiaca L. Pisang tanduk Planted Ripe fruit eaten raw. Green fruit eaten cooked 50 Nephelium lappaceum L. Rambutan Planted Ripe fruit eaten raw. 51 Ochanostachys amentacea Mast. Petaling Wild Ripe fruit eaten raw. 52 Oncosperma tigillarium (Jack.) Ridl. Nibung Wild Shoot eaten cooked 53 Oryza sativa L. Padi bukit Planted Ripe grain eaten cooked. 54 Parkia speciosa Hassk. Petai Wild, planted Mature fruit eaten raw or cooked 55 Philodendron sagittifolium Liebm. Batang sandar Wild Petiole eaten cooked 56 Piper betle L. Sirih Planted, wild Leaf chewed in betel quid 57 Piper porphyrophyllum N.E.Br. Kalong Wild Leaf chewed in betel quid 58 Piper ribesioides Wall. Camai Wild Leaf chewed in betel quid 59 Psidium guajava L. Jambu batu Planted, wild Mature and ripe fruits eaten raw 60 Rinorea anguifera Kuntze Janggut baung Wild Shoot used to flavor food 61 Saccharum officinarum L. Tebu Planted Juice taken raw 62 Salacca affinis Griff. Salak Wild Ripe fruit eaten raw 63 Stenochlaena palustris (Burm.) Bedd. Paku larat Wild Young leaf and petiole eaten cooked 64 Sterculia elongata Ridl. Kelompang Wild Ripe seed eaten cooked 65 Tamarindus indica L. Asam jawa Planted, wild Ripe fruit used to flavor food Ong et al. 697

Table 1. Cont’d

66 Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. Kacang panjang Planted Young fruit eaten cooked 67 Zea mays L. Jagung Planted Young fruit eaten cooked 68 Zingiber aromaticum Valeton Tepus Planted, wild Ripe fruit eaten raw 69 Zingiber officinale Rosc. Halia Planted Rhizome used to flavor food

natives collect edible parts from forest plants and agricultural plots. Habitat degradation will result in REFERENCES also from those of the same species that they many wild species becoming less available or not available within walking distance. The knowledge Carey I (1976). Orang Asli The Aboriginal Tribes of Peninsular planted. The other is when planted species were Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur, Oxford University Press, pp. 240- dispersed from cultivation and occurs also as wild and usage of edible plants changes, as new plants 249. plants and both sources are used. become available to them. Inavailabilty of certain Chin SC (1981). A Guide to Ethnobotanical Collection With The species in Table 1 in these three categories wild plants can cause the loss of knowledge on the Reference to Malaysia. Sarawak Mus. J., 29(50): 227-238 Henderson MR (1974a). Malayan Wild Flowers Dicotyledons. have quite similar totals with 24 wild species usage of these species over the generations, if these species are not planted or cannot be planted by the Kuala Lumpur, Malayan Nature Society, p. 478. (34.8%), 24 planted species (34.8%) and 21 Henderson MR (1974b). Malayan Wild Flowers species being both wild and planted (30.4%). In natives. Monocotyledons. Kuala Lumpur, Malayan Nature Society. p. terms of usage, 28 species are eaten cooked The young natives are less keen to learn and use 357. certain traditional edible plants due to changes in Martin GJ (1995). Ethnobotany A People and Plants (40.6%), 23 species are eaten raw (33.3%), 15 culture, personal preferences, the tedious process of Conservation Manual. London, Chapman & Hall, pp. 96- species are eaten both raw and cooked (21.7%), preparing certain food items, changes in habitat 123. Ng FSP (ed.). (1989). Tree Flora of Malaya A Manual for while 3 species (4.4%) are eaten raw and also causing certain edible plants to be unavailable or after fermentation. Fruits and seeds are the most Foresters. Volume 4. Kuala Lumpur, Longman Malaysia. p. less available. It is important not only to record such 549. common parts used with a total of 38 species native knowledge and conduct further studies but Ong HC (1991). A Survey of Temuan Home Gardens. Mal. J (55.1%) followed by leafy parts with 15 species also to take steps to conserve the genetic diversity of Sci., 13: 13-21. (21.7%). Others with much lower numbers are edible plants before they are lost to human kind Ong HC (1994). The Practice of Traditional Medicine Among shoots, underground parts, stem, bark and the Temuan Orang Asli – an Indigenous Tribe in Malaysia. forever. A living collection or genebank can serve Wallaceana., 72: 1-5 various combinations of different plant parts. further scientific studies on edible plants with Ridley HN (1967 reprint). The Flora of the Malay Peninsula. 5 potential for wider usage, pest and disease vols. Amsterdam; A. Asher. resistance, ability to grow and produce in different Womersley JS (1981). Plant Collecting and Herbarium DISCUSSION Development: A manual. Rome; FAO, p. 137. weather and soil conditions.

The results show that, the Temuans in the village surveyed use equal number of wild and planted ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS species of edible plants with a total of 24 species for each category. The number of species of We thank the University of Malaya and the plants that are both wild and planted is only government of Malaysia for providing facilities and slightly lower with a total of 21 species. This funds that enable such projects to be carried out. shows that, the Temuans in this study make full We thank Mohd Fadzil for his help in the logistics use of their ability as agriculturists and hunters/ of the field trips and for being the contact person gatherers. They are also able to adapt to changes with the Temuan villagers. Special thanks to all in availability of wild sources of edible plants by the Temuan villagers who have shared their growing some of these in their home gardens and knowledge willingly.