Natural Product Radiance, Vol. 7(5), 2008, pp.448-460 Green page:Research Paper Wild vegetables of Karbi - Anglong district, Assam A Kar1* and S K Borthakur2 1The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Northeastern Regional Centre VIP Road, Chachal, Guwahati-781 036, Assam, India 2Department of Botany, Gauhati University, Guwahati-781 014 *Correspondent author, E-mail: [email protected] Received 27 July 2007; Accepted 4 February 2008 Abstract district have been leading an intricate life The paper deals with 57 species of wild plants used as vegetable by the Karbi tribe of that depended on wild plants. Their Karbi - Anglong district, Assam. The scientific names of the plants, method of use, regeneration, knowledge about the plants and their demand and form of use of these vegetables are included. The paper also highlighted the medicinal properties are immense. These plants are value, market price and shelf-life of the vegetables after harvest. The conservation of the indigenous used as food plants, medicine, fodder, plant wealth through cultivation and further follow up investigation on these plants for chemical analysis has also been emphasized. fuel, dye, and for festivals, rituals and other functions. Keywords: Karbi- Anglong, Karbi tribe, Market prices, Medicinal value, Shelf-life, Wild vegetables. Many wild vegetables are used by IPC code; Int. cl.8— A01G 1/00, A61K 36/00, A23L 1/00, A23L 1/052 the Karbi people in their daily diet. These are used either raw or cooked and help Introduction East longitude and 25° 05′ and 26° 15′ to compensate their day-to-day calories Assam is rich in flora and diverse North latitudes3. Karbi people prefer to requirement. They add variety, colour and in its vegetational types. This coincides live on the hill slopes and are pile texture to our diets. They are rich sources with the variability of physical features, dwellers4. They belong to the Mongoloid of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. They climate, soil, etc. There are tropical moist- racial stock5. The tribes living in this are generally low in proteins and fats, and evergreen, tropical semi-evergreen, moist deciduous, dry deciduous and sub-tropical moist evergreen forests. In addition to these, degraded forests, scrub jungles, grassland and savannahs, bamboo thickets, hydrophytes in wetlands and wastelands also occur. There is an estimated 3895 species of flowering plants found in Assam1. The main inhabitants of the hilly area of the state are tribal people belonging to six major tribes, viz. Karbi, Bodo, Mishing, Hmar, Kuki and Garo2. Among them, the Karbi (Mikir) is a prominent tribe inhabiting mainly in Karbi-Anglong district of Assam. Karbi- Anglong lies between 92° 50′ to 94° 25′ Makeshift market at Manja Wild vegetable & fruits at Diphu market 448 Natural Product Radiance Green page:Research Paper and minerals. Folic acid helps in multiplication and maturation of cells, and its deficiency results in certain types of anemia, especially of infants and pregnant women6. The phytochemicals in vegetables protect the human body from a large number of ailments. That is why vegetables are often known as protective foods7. India secured second position in the world next to China in vegetable production. However, this is much less than the recommended requirement of 300g/Capita/day of vegetables for a balanced diet. Although, 175 major and Makeshift market at Lahorijan Oroxylum indicum minor vegetable crops are grown in India including 82 leafy vegetables and 41 tuber and bulb crops, there is a challenge to achieve the target of 160 million tons of vegetables to fulfill the recommended requirement by 2020(Ref. 8). Study of wild vegetables of the Karbis will help to find out new crops for large scale cultivation to fulfill the requirement of the area in particular and the state in general. It is urgently needed also for the country to fill the gap of balanced diet. Drymaria cordata Homalomena aromatica The survey and documentation of wild edible plants in the different parts of Northeastern states of India have been conducted by various workers9-23. Studies on wild edible fruit and vegetable in Karbi-Anglong have also been under taken from time to time24-32. The present study provides additional information regarding wild vegetables of the Karbis. Materials and Methods Leucas aspera Acmella paniculata The field study was undertaken many have a high moisture and low dry of vegetables to human health are the large during the period 2006-07. Intensive field matter content. Most of them also have quantity of vitamin C and A and folic acid surveys with the help of village heads and high medicinal value. Major contribution as well as good amount of dietary fibres persons who have knowledge on wild Vol 7(5) September-October 2008 449 Green page:Research Paper vegetables were undertaken for collection Monocotyledons and 46 species belong to aromatica (Roxb.) Schott (leaf and and to record their uses. Local markets Dicotyledons. tuber); Lasia spinosa (Linn.) Thw. of the selected localities were surveyed and The Table 1 is the alphabetical (shoot and tuber); Cissus plant samples were collected with enumeration of recorded species together quadrangularis Linn. (stem and necessary market information including with botanical name, family, Karbi leaves) and Zingiber zerumbet prices and shelf-life of the vegetables after name(s), and brief description, time of (Linn.) Smith (rhizome and flowers). harvest. Prior information consent (PIC) availability, mode of use, taste, habitat and Some documented vegetables analyses of Community Chiefs (since all the their regeneration. Market prices of 30 earlier like Spondias pinnata (Linn. ethnomedicinal recepies and traditional vegetables from six local markets also have f.) Kurz are rich in carbohydrate and knowledge are community property) was been provided in Table 2. The price varies fibre; Persicaria microcephala obtained to put their practice in the public from market to market and fluctuates (D. Don) H. Gross rich in mineral, fibre domain. Collected plants were made into from season to season depending on their and carbohydrate; Dioscorea puber herbarium specimen following standard preference of use. Table 3 represents Blume rich in carbohydrate and techniques33. Herbarium specimens were vegetables used as medicine by the Karbi albuminoides; Portulaca oleracea identified with the help of Herbarium of tribe. Table 4 provides shelf-life of the Linn. and P. quadrifida Linn. rich in Botany Department and voucher vegetable after harvest. Vitamin C content34, these contents herbarium specimens have been deposited Majority of the vegetables are protect our body against different in the Herbarium of the Botany eaten fresh. Out of 57 plants, 04 fruits ailments. Further more, in a study Department, Gauhati University, Guwahati are eaten cooked and 03 rhizomes, 03 conducted by FAO it has been reported for future reference. tubers and 01 corm are eaten boiled/baked that wild foods are a part of rural people or cooked; 09 are flower vegetables which diet not only during periods of food Results and Discussion are eaten fried or boiled; 01 stem pith shortage but also on a daily basis. The In the present study 56 species and 01 stem vegetable, 21 are leafy daily consumption of wild products of Angiosperms and one species of vegetables and 16 are shoot vegetables. contributes to overall nutritional well Gymnosperm have been recorded. Of the For some plants more than one parts are being of tribes35. Angiosperms, 10 species belong to used as vegetables, viz. Homalomena Table 1: Wild edible vegetables of Karbi-Anglong, Assam S. Botanical name/Family Karbi name Brief Time of Method Taste Habitat Regeneration No. description availability of use 1 Abelmoschus moschatus Arnam Shrub; leaves May to August Tender pod Sweet, Forest, Seed Medic. (Malvaceae) hanserong lobed; fruit taken boiled slightly Road armed with or fried. slimy sides minute hairs. 2 Abrus precatorius Linn. Chuselok Climber; leaves April to Fresh leaves Sweet Forest Seed (Fabaceae) compound; November taken in flower white or curries. pink. 3 Abutilon indicum (Linn.) Mir-at Shrub; leaves April to Fresh flowers Sweet Forest Seed Sweet (Malvaceae) ovate; flower August fried and yellow. eaten. 450 Natural Product Radiance Green page:Research Paper S. Botanical name/Family Karbi name Brief Time of Method Taste Habitat Regeneration No. description availability of use 4 Acmella paniculata (DC.) Bapchuki Herb; leaves April to Leaves eaten Sweet Crop field Seed Jansen (Asteraceae) elliptical; flower August boiled. slight yellow. pungent 5 Adhatoda zeylanica Medic. Jok-an- Shrub; leaves April to White flowers Bitter Road Root (Acanthaceae) kelok elliptical; flower December and leaves sides, white. eaten fried. Forest. 6 Alocasia macrorrhiza Henchala Aroid; leaves September Corm eaten Sweet with Forest Corm (Linn.) G. Don (Araceae) large with to January boiled. slightly petiole. astringent 7 Alpinia galanga (Linn.) Phrikan- Shrub; leaves October to Boiled Sweet with Forest Rhizome Willd. (Zingeberaceae) gnek elliptical; rhizome March rhizome mild aroma white with aroma. made into chutney with salt and chilli. 8 Alternanthera sessilis Raeaba Herb; leaves March to Tender Sweet Road Seed (Linn.) R.Br. ex DC. lanceolate; stem November shoots eaten sides (Amaranthaceae) ribbed. boiled. 9 Amorphophalus bulbifer Hen salku Herb; leaves April to July Tender Sweet with Road Corm (Schott) Blume (Araceae) lobed; flower shoots eaten astringent sides, yellow. boiled with Forest chilli and salt. 10 Antidesma acidum Retz. Ingchum Shrub; leaves April to Tender shoots Very sour Forest Seed (Euphorbiaceae) elliptical; berry October eaten boiled black when ripe. with chilli and salt. 11 Arisaema tortuosum Chamua Aroid; leaves April to Fruit roasted Sweet, Forest Corm (Wall.) Schott (Araceae) lobed; tuber July and boiled astringent white. tuber taken with salt. 12 Beta vulgaris Linn. var. Bengali Herb; stem March to Tender shoots Sweet with Forest, Seed, Stem benghalensis Roxb. dido and leaves November boiled and slime Scrubs (Chenopodiaceae) succulent; taken with flower pink. rice.